Yorkshire peer 'confident' Government will give Parliament a say on future trade deals

The Trade Bill returns to the Commons tomorrow, after peers inflicted four separate defeats on the Government in the Lords last week, on their demand for a strengthened role for Parliament on future trade deals.

Concerns have been raised that trade deals made in the post-Brexit era could undercut British farmers in favour of foreign, cheaper producers with potentially lower standards, but also over the potential signing of deals with countries which commit genocide.

Baroness Anne McIntosh has consistently raised the concerns of Yorkshire farmers who feel they could be cut out of the market.

She said: “I look forward to tomorrow with the great expectation, and I’m delighted we have got a group of cross-party peers working with cross-party MPs to ensure we get on the face of the Bill the protection we are all seeking for our food standards, our environmental protections, and human rights as well.”

She said she was confident Conservative MPs would back the amendments from the Lords, as she had been assured that the Government would bring forward a compromise amendment of its own, mirroring a similar one brought for the Trade Bill in 2019.

But she said it was key to get agreements in primary legislation rather than secondary legislation, where the Lords would only have an advisory role.

York Outer Conservative MP Julian Sturdy rebelled against the Government when the issue was in the Commons last month, voting for more of a say.

He said: “Having received no satisfactory response to my repeated lobbying of Ministers on this, I felt obliged to join with 10 other Conservative colleagues and repeat my vote last July for future trade negotiations to be ‘top and tailed’ with a clear parliamentary vote.”

While MPs do have the power to block ratification, and changes to the law as a result of deals must pass through Parliament, Mr Sturdy said there is currently no clear requirement for a yes or no vote on trade agreements, and the Government can agree to ratify independent of MPs.

And he added: “I know many constituents have a serious interest in the future shape of trade policy given the potential economic impact of trade agreements, and robust parliamentary scrutiny is the best way to maintain our high goods standards, and maximise economic opportunities outside the EU.”

Ministers have repeatedly insisted that any trade deals which would undermine British farmers with cheap food imports such as US chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef into the country would not be signed.

The Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) will be able to scrutinise deals, but will have an advisory role only, and a number of parliamentarians said this did not go far enough.

NFU director of trade and business strategy Nick von Westenholz previously said: “For farmers and for everyone who wants to eat high-quality food, it is crucial that our MPs are properly able to represent their constituents and are given a meaningful role in approving trade deals.

“Without this, the work of the recently announced Trade and Agriculture Commission, which will advise MPs on the impact of those deals, will be much weaker.”