Committee Debate: 5th sitting: House of Commons
Tuesday 30th January 2018

(6 years, 10 months ago)

Public Bill Committees
Read Full debate Trade Bill 2017-19 View all Trade Bill 2017-19 Debates Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts Amendment Paper: Public Bill Committee Amendments as at 30 January 2018 - (30 Jan 2018)
Judith Cummins Portrait Judith Cummins
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It is the Trade Bill. These principles, including on human rights, should be held dear; if they are not held dear by Government Members, they are at least by Opposition Members. Environmental degradation has just been dismissed as collateral damage when it comes to international trade agreements. That is no basis on which to construct a new trade policy for a United Kingdom.

Hannah Bardell Portrait Hannah Bardell (Livingston) (SNP)
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The hon. Lady makes an excellent speech. Does she agree that we all have deep concerns about fair trade? There is already a creep in supermarkets looking at fairly traded products, rather than Fairtrade products, and we will see significantly more of that if the Bill passes without amendment. Given that many of our constituencies are Fairtrade towns, that should be of significant concern to all of us.

Judith Cummins Portrait Judith Cummins
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I thank the hon. Lady for that intervention. Fair trade should absolutely be a key element of any Bill that deals with trade.