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This court case has been incredibly important. It allowed us to put our concerns about the US trade deal centre-stage during the 2019 general election, when then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn publicised the censored papers which formed a part of our case. It allowed us to highlight government secrecy when it comes to trade talks. It even exposed that the government is holding some trade talks in total secrecy, with countries yet to be named.
The judge by no means gave us everything we asked for. But he was critical of the government’s attitude toward transparency, saying the government’s representative had shown a “clear inability to provide answers on many points of detail” and that the trade department had failed to deal with the aspects of the case in a “detailed and rigorous way”.
So we have moved forward in challenging the government’s excessive secrecy when it comes to trade talks.
Winning public accountability for trade policy is important not just in helping us stop toxic trade treaties like that being negotiated with the United States, but also in allowing us to push for fundamental reforms to a global trade system which is turbo-charging inequality and climate change.
This campaign success was down to hundreds of people who helped fund the court case, and to our members who support us with a regular donation. Membership helps us stay independent, making us able to continue to speak truth to power without watering down our campaigns, and gives us a stable source of income so that we can see our campaigns through to the end.
Will you become a member for as little as £2 per month today and help further our trade campaign?
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