The events surrounding the Queen’s death have in the past couple of weeks diverted attention away from issues that might, in more normal times, have attracted more media coverage. The killing of an unarmed 24-year-old Black man in London by the police. Floods that continue to devastate Pakistan. The UK government’s plans to grant up to 130 new oil and gas licences in the North Sea and resume fracking, while the planet swiftly approaches disastrous climate tipping points.
There’s much more that has been almost entirely overlooked – including highly significant developments on trade. Trade policy impacts so many aspects of our lives, and yet often flies under the radar.
In the short time since Liz Truss was declared prime minister, the Department for International Trade’s performance in dealing with Freedom of Information requests has been deemed to be so poor that it has been issued with an enforcement order from the Information Commissioner's Office, and a new trade deal with Australia that sacrifices UK food and farming standards being pushed through Parliament without debate.
