EU and UK negotiators have been in the so-called Brexit tunnel for weeks, which they enter to supposedly fine-tune a trade deal away from leak-prone politicians and nosy journalists.
Yet as far as Brexit and public accountability are concerned, the UK has been in an endless tunnel. Key British officials do not keep adequate records of their meetings with lobbyists – and even if they did, they really wouldn't want you to see them.
The UK is a serial offender regarding Brexit, trade, transparency and freedom of information. The public and parliamentarians have little chance to scrutinise UK trade deals compared with other countries. Civil society groups have been excluded from the government’s new trade advisory groups. Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, has warned that the public interest is at risk “if workers’ voices are excluded” from these groups.
