Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Less wealthy CPTPP members initially agreed to these because they thought they would get increased access to the US market but the US subsequently withdrew from the negotiations.8 ● The CPTPP group itself includes countries that have poor records on human rights, including Brunei, Mexico and Vietnam, and the agreement has only weak provisions on labour rights.9 ● The impacts of a number of measure. [...] While increased collaboration with partners and allies in the Asia-Pacific region is welcome, trade deals are not the only forum to do so and the CPTPP shares similar defects to other modern trade agreements, including the failed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and US. [...] Process and scrutiny The Government originally stated that “before applying” to join the CPTPP, it would “publish an Outline Approach and a Scoping Assessment setting out our negotiating objectives and the economic impact and benefits of accession.”37 The UK applied to join the CPTPP at the end of January 2021, but the outline approach and scoping assessment were not published until 22 June 2021. [...] MPs have no guaranteed votes on objectives or on the final deal.38 Although verbal reassurances, made from the despatch box during the passage of the Trade Act, give committees the power to recommend deals for debate, this is not guaranteed in law.39 Indeed, the post-signature scrutiny process for the UK-Australia FTA in 2022, the first ‘from scratch’ post-Brexit agreement, highlighted acutely tha. [...] The Government rejected calls from across the House to ensure that they schedule time for MPs to debate the Agreement within the CRaG period, or failing that, extend the scrutiny period.40 Conservative MP and International Trade Committee member Anthony Mangnall was forced to secure an Urgent Question on UK-Australia scrutiny on the penultimate day of the CRaG period to ensure that the Commons deb.