Evidence provided in UK Parliament International Trade Committee Inquiry on Transparency and Scrutiny

Abstract

Future trade negotiations to which the UK is party are unlikely to be possible without significantly impacting politically sensitive issues such that, without innovative solutions, the government will find it increasingly difficult to be active in negotiations necessary to maintaining current UK access to foreign markets post-Brexit. There is a widening gap between the broadening scope of what is covered by 'trade policy' and the necessary knowledge base within not just UK society but also amongst key policy-makers. The UK needs to adopt a multi-level strategy for ensuring there is an ongoing national conversation on trade policy that is well-informed, that includes politicians at all levels of government, as well as civil society, but also new initiatives that allow the public to become sufficiently informed so as to ensure a nuanced debate on trade that curtails the risk of knee-jerk protectionism through being sensitive to societal concerns. ; UTP0011