Badenoch to answer questions on UK joining Pacific trade pact
Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is among the witnesses to give evidence at a Business and Trade Committee evidence session assessing the potential benefits and drawbacks of the UK joining the CPTPP trade block.
Meeting details
The CPTPP currently has eleven members. In July, terms were agreed for the UK to join, which would make it the first country outside the Pacific region to accede to the agreement. CPTPP is intended to reduce trade barriers between member states. However, critics of the deal suggest that it comes at a high environmental cost, with limited benefits to the UK from joining.
Lorand Bartels, Chair of the Trade and Agriculture Commission, is likely to be asked about their findings on issues including the compatibility of the deal with UK bans on imports such as hormone-fed beef.
MPs are set to ask trade experts and the Secretary of State about:
- likely UK economic gains from joining CPTPP – and which UK industries could be left worse off;
- the possibility of overseas investors using CPTPP to sue the UK Government over tighter regulation of the water industry;
- possible increases in imports of food produced to lower standards than the UK’s regarding pesticides and genetically-modified organisms.