Committees

UK trade negotiations: Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council

Inquiry

Background 

 

Through this sub-inquiry, the Committee will scrutinise the UK-Gulf Cooperation Council negotiations, any Agreement in Principle, and the final free trade agreement (FTA) text. 

The Committee is particularly interested in finding out how this agreement will affect people and businesses across the UK, the likely economic, social, and environmental impacts of the agreement, and how a free trade agreement could further the UK’s strategic objectives in the region.  

The Committee intends to provide parliamentary scrutiny of the agreement by:  

  • inviting written evidence from interested stakeholders; 
  • analysing the text of the agreement;
  • questioning experts, stakeholders and the Secretary of State for International Trade in oral evidence sessions; and 
  • publishing a report on the FTA text, in which it may recommend that the agreement is debated in the House of Commons Chamber. 

Under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, after the agreement is laid before Parliament there is a period of 21 sitting days in which either House may choose to pass a motion stating that it should not be ratified. Ahead of this, the Government has committed to allowing at least three months for public scrutiny. The Committee intends to publish its report on the agreement during this period. 

The Government has said it will endeavour to provide time for the agreement to be debated on the floor of the House of Commons should the Committee recommend it. 

This sub-inquiry forms part of the Committee’s ongoing UK Trade Negotiations inquiry. Evidence that has already been submitted to that inquiry which is specific to the prospective agreement with the GCC will also be considered as part of this sub-inquiry. 

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Sunday 30 January 2022.

Upcoming events

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Past events

Wednesday 7 December 2022
9:30am Private
11:00am Public
UK trade negotiations: Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council - Oral evidence 7 December 2022
11:00am
  • Rosie Rowe (Advisor at Pillar Two)
  • Tom Wills (Project Manager – Corporate Accountability and Trade at Business and Human Rights Resource Centre)
  • Professor Clair Gammage (Professor of International Commercial Law at University of Exeter Law School)
10:00am
  • Professor Raj Bhala (Brenneisen Distinguished Professor at University of Kansas School of Law)
  • Yasmine Ahmed (UK Director at Human Rights Watch)
  • Sayed Alwadaei (Director at Bahrain Institute for Human Rights)
The Macmillan Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 16 November 2022
9:30am Private
10:00am Public
UK trade negotiations: Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council - Oral evidence 16 November 2022
10:00am
  • James Hygate (Founder and CEO at Green Fuels)
  • Cameron Witten (Senior Policy Advisor at Green Alliance)
  • Dr Cinzia Bianco (Gulf Research Fellow at European Council on Foreign Relations)
11:00am
  • Mohammed Soliman (Director of the Center for Strategy and Emerging Technology at The Middle East Institute)
  • Dr Nadia Naim (Senior Lecturer at Aston Law School)
  • John Cooke (Co-Chair, Liberalisation of Trade in Services (LOTIS) Expert Advisory Group at TheCityUK)
Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 26 October 2022
9:30am Private
10:00am Public
UK trade negotiations: Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council - Oral evidence 26 October 2022
10:00am
  • Peter Stevenson (Chief Policy Advisor at Compassion in World Farming)
  • Dr Awal Fuseini (Senior Halal Sector Manager at Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board)
11:00am
  • Dominic Goudie (Head of International Trade at Food and Drink Federation)
  • Sarah Baker (Economic Strategist at Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board)
  • Nick von Westenholz (Director of EU Exit and International Trade at NFU)
  • Houaida Alawieh (Senior Regulatory Affairs Advisor at Campden BRI Group)
Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 13 July 2022
1:30pm Private
2:00pm Public
UK trade negotiations: Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council - Oral evidence 13 July 2022
2:00pm
  • Rosa Crawford (Policy Officer at Trade Union Congress)
  • Martin Myant (Associate Researcher at European Trade Union)
  • Pete Pattisson (Freelance Journalist at (various))
Room 16, Palace of Westminster