Thursday Volume 677 18 June 2020 No. 72 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 18 June 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 925 18 JUNE 2020 926 in the design of future trade and investment agreements, House of Commons including environmental provisions within those, to ensure that we uphold the UK’s high environmental standards. Thursday 18 June 2020 Cat Smith: Last year’s free trade agreement between Mexico, the US and Canada ran to 250 pages but failed The House met at half-past Nine o’clock to mention climate change or global emissions. What assurances can the Minister give the House that the free PRAYERS trade agreement being negotiated by his Government between the UK and the US will not make the same mistake and will put climate change at the heart of it? [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Order, 4 June). Greg Hands: The hon. Lady raises a good question. The UK is absolutely committed to our international [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] climate change agenda; that is one of our key objectives. We have not included that because the US is withdrawing from the Paris accord, which we regret. She mentioned Oral Answers to Questions the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. That agreement does include 30 pages of environmental commitments, including, for example, on sustainability, INTERNATIONAL TRADE forestry,air quality,marine plastics, multilateral agreements and so on. There is plenty of potential for us to go The Secretary of State was asked— further on the environment with our US trade agreement. UK-Canada Free Trade Agreement Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con): What recent Stephen Morgan: There is no point in the UK achieving discussions she has had with her Canadian counterpart our own zero-carbon targets if the trade deals we reach with other countries are pushing them ever further away on a free trade agreement with that country. [903419] from achieving theirs. Can the Secretary of State ensure The Secretary of State for International Trade (Elizabeth that all future FTAs agreed by the UK reinforce the Truss): I spoke to my Canadian counterpart Mary Ng legal primacy of emission targets established in the last week, and we talked about progressing our bilateral Paris climate change agreement? trade and working together to promote free trade across the world. Greg Hands: It is worth pointing out that nothing in any trade agreement would prevent the UK from reaching Andrew Percy: Bilateral trade between the UK and its targets under the Paris agreement and to go net zero Canada is worth £20 billion a year. It grew exponentially by 2050—we are the first Government to commit to following the implementation of the Comprehensive doing that, and no trade agreement will prevent us from Economic and Trade Agreement. In comparison, our doing that. We remain on the front foot in our advocacy, bilateral trade with New Zealand is worth £3 billion a making sure that the international response remains year. We have opened formal negotiations with New extremely strong, including through multilateral agreements Zealand on a new trade agreement. Can we not go and the UK contribution to the global climate fund. further with Canada and seek something much more comprehensive than simply a roll-over of CETA? Emily Thornberry (Islington South and Finsbury) Elizabeth Truss: I know that my hon. Friend is committed (Lab): Last year, Brazil lost an area of rainforest the to Canada, having served as trade envoy and done a size of Yorkshire, and the new land reforms proposed fantastic job.As part of our ambitious free trade agreement by the Bolsonaro Administration will make the scale of programme, we announced yesterday our intention to deforestation and commercial exploitation in the Amazon accede to the CPTPP,which is an advanced trade agreement even worse. In the light of that, can the Minister tell us covering chapters such as data and digital and goes far what environmental conditions are attached to his beyond what the EU has been willing to agree. Canada Department’s £20 million trade facilitation programme is one of the key players in the CPTPP, alongside with Brazil? Will he promise to suspend that programme countries such as Australia and New Zealand. if the Bolsonaro Administration persist with their proposed land reform laws? Free Trade Agreements: Environmental Protection Standards Greg Hands: This question is about trade agreements, Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab): What and it is worth pointing out that we are not currently in discussions she has had with UK trade partners on negotiation with Brazil on a trade agreement. The European maintaining environmental protection standards in future Union is, by the way. When it comes to trade agreements, free trade agreements. [903420] the right hon. Lady needs to get her own house in order. Stephen Morgan (Portsmouth South) (Lab): What Yesterday at this very Dispatch Box, she praised EU discussions she has had with UK trade partners on trade agreements with Pacific rim countries in the CPTPP. maintaining environmental protection standards in future The only problem for her is that those on the Labour Front Bench voted against CETA and did not support free trade agreements. [903422] the EU-Japan agreement. Worst of all, she led her The Minister for Trade Policy (Greg Hands): The troops to vote against the Trade Bill— Government are committed to meeting their ambitious environmental objectives. We are exploring all options Emily Thornberry indicated dissent. 927 Oral Answers 18 JUNE 2020 Oral Answers 928 Greg Hands: The Labour Front Bench at the time. Mr Speaker: Richard Holden—another one not here. She led her troops to vote against the Trade Bill, which Oh my word. We now go virtual—to Angus Brendan would roll all these EU trade agreements over to become MacNeil. UK trade agreements. Angus Brendan MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP) Mr Speaker: Chris Loder, who had the next Question, [V]: Tapadh leibh, Mr Speaker. We hope to see the is not here, but I will still take the SNP supplementary Secretary of State at the International Trade Committee questions—I call Stewart Hosie. next week, as requested by Committee members for a number of weeks. At yesterday’s Committee hearing, Stewart Hosie (Dundee East) (SNP): Thank you, Mr the NFU, the CBI and the TUC all coalesced around Speaker. Scottish Land and Estates has said that food the figure that Brexit would cost the UK about 4.9% of and farming is critical, and it is concerned that UK GDP and an American trade deal would benefit it by producers are not placed in an impossible situation around 0.16% of GDP—a thirtieth of what is being lost where they have to compete in an effective “race to the by Brexit. They said that gains from the Japan deal bottom”. What guarantees can the Secretary of State would be a lot less than the paltry lot from the US deal, give that cheaply produced agrifood imports will not so can any Minister furnish the House with the figure lead to that race to the bottom? for what would be gained as a percentage of GDP from a Japan-UK trade deal? Elizabeth Truss: First, we have the independent Food Standards Agency, which is committed to high food Elizabeth Truss: First of all, I am extremely happy to standards. All the food standards that are currently appear in front of the hon. Gentleman’s Committee, with us through EU law are put into UK law as a result and I will ask my office to immediately set that up in the of the withdrawal agreement, so those standards are diary.I am very keen to communicate with the Committee not going to be lowered, and they are not going to be about the various trade deals we are negotiating. negotiated as part of any trade agreement. We published figures for the scoping study on the Japan free trade agreement, but this is not an either/or. Stewart Hosie: I thank the Secretary of State for her We want to get a good trade deal with the EU. We want answer, but I did not ask about food quality standards; to get a good trade deal with the US. We also want to I understand that. I am asking about production standards. get access to CPTPP, which is a very fast-growing part As the National Farmers Union of Scotland has pointed of the world. That is what we want. We want global out, there is deep concern about the importation of Britain to sit at the heart of a network of free trade agrifoods into the UK that may be produced to an agreements. inequivalent and uncompetitive standard. How will she guard against agrifood imports produced to that Bill Esterson: In March, the Government said that inequivalent standard, which is much cheaper and simply Japan must show “increased ambition” and set a higher could not or would not be done in the UK? headline target on reducing carbon emissions ahead of COP26. Is that still the view of the Secretary of State? Elizabeth Truss: Scottish beef and lamb is a very Will she show increased ambition and include more high-quality product and highly competitive. When the stretching, measurable and binding climate targets in beef ban is ended with the US, we will have the opportunity the new free trade agreement she puts in place with to get British beef into the US market—there is Japan? £66 million-worth of opportunity for that product—but in every trade agreement I negotiate, I will always make Elizabeth Truss: We have a huge opportunity to achieve sure that our farmers, with their high standards, are not our environmental objectives in many of the free trade undermined.