We're Herring There's No Agreement Yet

Good Afternoon,

Despite a late night order of pizza to fuel the negotiators, there is still no agreed trade deal between the UK and the EU. Speaking of food, the Future British Standards Coalition have warned about weakening of food standards in the UK. We have an event looking to the future of human rights after Brexit. NICVA have organised an event for voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland to help prepare for the end of the transition period. As usual we look at what's coming up in Parliament and have recommended reading for your Friday.

Enjoy,
Jacob

In Politics

Is There A Deal Yet?

  • Negotiations are continuing and no deal has been agreed yet

  • There are internal debates in the Labour party about whether to vote for or against a deal

  • If a deal is agreed scrutiny will be very limited because the UK Government has not given Parliament enough time

Not yet. Negotiations between the EU and the UK continue this week, and by some reports quite intensely getting in late night supplies, however ultimately we still don’t know if a deal is going to be agreed. Talks are due to continue but it is uncertain how they will end.

A further question is whether a deal, if one is agreed, will pass, ultimately that is likely. The Government still has its significant majority and unlike other policy issues like this week's coronavirus rebellion this is a majority built on getting a deal to secure Brexit. This is not the May era of the Conservative party.

There remain questions about the deal in parliament though. Currently there is a debate in the Labour party as to whether they should vote for a deal to be seen as moving beyond the Brexit debate and listening to the “red wall” voters or abstain and leave responsibility for what comes after the transition period to the Conservative party.

According to the Times there is division among the shadow cabinet as to what to do. Many including Emily Thornberry, David Lammy, Marsha de Cordova, and Ian Murray are hesitant to back a deal. Meanwhile Lisa Nandy, Rachel Reeves, and Nick Thomas-Symonds think it necessary to vote for a deal to signal to voters the party has moved on Brexit. The leadership is saying it will wait to see what is in the deal before any choices are made.

A vote on the deal in the UK is not straightforward either and this isn’t due to backbenchers disagreeing with their frontbench. There remains very few sitting days in parliament, eight at the time of writing, which is significantly less than the 21 needed if the Government intends to follow the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG).

There are alternate routes for a deal to be ratified in the UK, as outlined by the Institute for Government in their detailed explainer UK-EU future relationship: UK ratification, such as putting forward a bill that allows it to bypass the CRAG process, or use statutory instruments, or pass a bill to give the deal direct effect in law. Neither procedure, including CRAG would address the concern that parliamentarians ultimately will not have the chance to engage with the details of this deal. And as ever with Brexit, the devil is in the detail

The current ratification process is world beating only in its ability to avoid full scrutiny by MPs, Peers, or the public. In our episode of This Is Important: Trade Deals we hear from Ruth Bergan (Trade Justice Movement) and Kath Dalmeny (Sustain) why this happens and what its effects are. By leaving a deal, that will likely be thousands of pages long, so late before the end of the transition deal the Government is removing any chance for scrutiny. This could lead to many unforeseen errors and mistakes that can cause issues later down the line. Also, remember that a central theme of the Brexit referendum was that leaving the EU would allow the UK to ‘take back control’ of its own laws, but the way the Government is implementing Brexit shows that control with largely rest with the Executive.

In Policy

Weaker Food Standards

  • New report warns of falling food standards

  • Standards on the use of antibiotics have already been deleted

The Future British Standards Coalition (FBSC) have published a report titled “Safeguarding standards”.

The report by the coalition has warned that food standards are already being weakened and that ministers are giving themselves power to change rules on the import of food without parliamentary scrutiny. Rules on the use of hormones in British farm animals are now easier to change and the standards on the use of antibiotics has been removed.

Kath Dalmeny, the chair of the FBSC, has said “UK consumers have consistently rejected the prospect of poorly produced food that hurts people, the planet and animals. The government needs to show the public it is listening and taking advice from a wide range of experts. It should start by appointing a Trade and Agriculture Commission that reflects a proper range of expertise and ditching this behind closed doors approach to negotiating trade deals.”

The report argues for maintaining high standards when agreeing trade deals to protect the standards in the UK of the food we eat, raise standards internationally and create potential newmarkets for high standards UK food exports. It also comes after the Government and MPs voted against protecting food standards in trade deals earlier in November.

These warnings are concerning for the maintenance of high standards in a post-Brexit UK. This is all despite a widespread public demand on the Government to protect food standards after Brexit. The Government needs to include more protections in primary legislation to ensure that standards are not weakened after the UK leaves the transition period.

In Parliament

Watch Commons and Lords debates and Committee sessions free on parliamentlive.tv

House of Commons

Monday 7th
Consideration of Lords amendments United Kingdom Internal Market Bill

Wednesday 9th
Motion - Consideration of a Procedural Motion followed by second reading and Committee of the Taxation (Post-Transition Period) Bill

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee - Oral evidence - Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol (8:45am to 11:30am)

Thursday 10th
Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union - Oral evidence - Progress of the negotiations on the UK’s Future Relationship with the EU (9:00am to 12:00pm)

House of Lords

Monday 7th
Legislation - Trade Bill – report stage (day 1)

Tuesday 8th
Orders and regulations REACH etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 - motion to approve

Orders and regulations REACH etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 - motion to regret

Wednesday 9th
Legislation - United Kingdom Internal Market Bill – consideration of Commons
amendments

In Events

Ensuring a “Race to the Top” for human rights in a post-Brexit UK

Speakers:

  • Mhairi Snowden – Human Rights Consortium Scotland (Chair)

  • Professor Alan Miller, co-Chair of National Taskforce on Human Rights Leadership, Scotland

  • Professor Colin Harvey, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland

  • Liz Shannon, Equally Ours, England

  • Professor Simon Hoffman, Swansea University, Wales


After a very long period of navigating and debating the conditions of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, Brexit continues to cause uncertainty and anxiety for the future of human rights across the UK.

With speakers from all regions of the UK we will explore the positive human rights developments in each part of the UK, how similar developments can be enhanced and replicated in the other jurisdictions and what civil society and the public can do to help support a race to the top for human rights.

This event is part of the ‘Brexit, Devolution & Rights' webinar series, co-hosted by the Brexit Civil Society Alliance, the Wales Civil Society Forum on Brexit, the Human Rights Consortiums in Scotland and Northern Ireland and SULNE. The webinar series explores what the next stages of Brexit and beyond mean for fundamental rights across the 4 parts of the UK.

Post-Brexit briefing for Organisations in Northern Ireland

  • Thursday 10th December

  • 10:00am to 11:00am

  • FREE

  • Tickets

NICVA, the northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, has organised an event to help voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland prepare for the end of the transition period.

The Post-Brexit Scheme All Voluntary & Community Organisations Should Register For - HMRC Briefing.

If you thought getting Brexit ready was just for businesses, think again. From the 1st January 2021, all NI voluntary and community organisations that buy any goods from (or sell to) GB will need a special 'EORI' registration number. In this seminar, speakers from HMRC and the Department for Economy will explain what you need to do and answer your questions.

From the 1st January 2021, any NI organisation - be they private, public or voluntary/ community - that moves goods between NI and GB, including simply purchasing goods from a GB supplier needs to register for an Economic Operators Registration and Identification or 'EORI' number. The EORI number is used as an identification number in customs procedures coming into effect in 2021 when the Brexit transition period ends. A Trader Support Service has been established to help with this which you can register for here. To help NI voluntary and community sector organisations prepare for this, NICVA is hosting this free Zoom Webinar.

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