Can UK trade policy be made greener?
Does the UK’s post-Brexit independent trade policy live up to its domestic environmental commitments?
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Having introduced a legally binding target to achieve net zero by 2050 and with the Environment Act – designed to enforce UK environmental standards – now on the statute book, the UK government is proud of its green achievements. But does the UK’s post-Brexit independent trade policy live up to its domestic environmental commitments?
Earlier this year the UK agreed to omit references to temperature goals committed to in the Paris Agreement in order to secure a free trade agreement with Australia – an agreement which, on the government’s own analysis, will result in increased use of scarce natural resources and increased waste. So does the UK need to do more to position its environmental goals at the heart of its trade policy or would this hinder the UK’s ability to strike deals across the globe? Can trade policy help deliver positive gains for the environment? And should the UK government set out an overarching trade policy to bring consistency and coherence to its trade deals?
To answer these questions, and to explore what goals UK trade policy is – or ought to be – serving, the Institute for Government was delighted to bring together an expert panel including:
- Sir Martin Donnelly, former Permanent Secretary for the Department for International Trade (DIT) and for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (now BEIS)
- Dmitry Grozoubinski, Director of ExplainTrade
- Anna Sands, Trade Policy Specialist at WWF UK
- Chris Southworth, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce
The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank WWF UK for supporting this event.
