Britain’s trade deal with Pacific Rim countries will undermine climate pledges, campaigners claimed today.
Green MP Caroline Lucas said boosting trade with nations further away meant more emissions belched into the atmosphere through shipping bigger quantities of imports and exports.
Ms Lucas, a member of the UK Trade and Business Commission, insisted: “When it comes to trade, distance matters. Not only will joining this bloc fail to replace trade we have lost with our closest neighbours, stretching supply chains makes a mockery of our climate commitments and will undercut environmental and food standards in the UK.”
Labour welcomed the UK’s entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
But Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds warned: “Ministers need to provide answers on vital issues, including on consumer safety, food safety, data protection and environmental protections.”
Key UK exports to the region, including cheese, cars, chocolate, machinery, gin and whisky, will be among those to benefit, while officials said the services industry would enjoy reduced red tape and increased market access.
They added that vital UK sectors, including agriculture and the NHS, will be protected, while animal welfare and food safety standards will be maintained.
Reduced tariffs on Malaysian palm oil, a product blamed for widespread deforestation, have triggered concerns of more nature destruction.
Critics say the impact of the CPTPP will be limited, with official estimates suggesting it will add just £1.8 billion a year to the economy after 10 years, representing less than 1% of UK GDP.
Some estimates suggest the deal will boost the economy by just 0.08%.
But Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch insisted that forecast was based on 2014 figures - and gushed she was "unbelievably excited" by the deal's potential.
It is one of the biggest trade deals we've ever done,” she said.
“It's certainly the biggest trade bloc we've entered since we joined the European Economic Community, and what it's going to do is open up our economy to where the new global growth is coming from.”
The National Farmers’ Union said joining the CPTPP “could provide some good opportunities to get more fantastic British food on plates overseas” - and said it was better than earlier pacts post-Brexit Britain had signed.
NFU President Minette Batters said: “Compared to the deals struck with Australia and New Zealand, I am pleased to see that the Prime Minister has stuck to his word and the Government has negotiated a far more considered and balanced outcome, particularly with respect to managing market access in our most vulnerable sectors.
“I will continue to press government to ensure its domestic policies are aimed at improving the competitiveness of British farming and strengthening our domestic food security.”
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