This session of the UK Trade and Business Commission took place on 23rd March 2023. 

The purpose of this session of the UK Trade and Business Commission was to hear from experts who can outline what policies must be in place to ensure environmental and standards protections play a prominent role in future UK trade deals.

The first panel focused on the pressing environmental issues of today and how trade deals can encode new and higher standards of climate protection. Trade deals can be tools that actively facilitate positive climate action, encouraging high climate standards within and beyond trade deals.

The second panel focused on standards and protections. Now that the UK has left the EU, it is more important than ever to maintain high standards and strong regulation of these standards to aid cooperation and trade with neighbours but also for consumer confidence and production.

This session covered environmental and standards protection policies as well as an overall strategy for how they can be a key part of trade negotiations.

Witnesses

Panel 1: Environment (1000h-1100h)

Jonny Peters, Senior Policy Advisor, E3G

Paul Ekins, Director, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources

Dr Stefania Lovo, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Reading

Panel 2: Standards and Protections (1100h-1200h)

Scott Steedman, Director General, Standards, British Standards Institution

Lorraine Turner, Accreditation Director, UKAS

Phoebe Clay, Co-director, Unchecked UK