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Why the EU’s request for a level playing field is in all our interests

The UK’s current negotiating mandate for EU trade puts workers’ rights at risk, hinders efforts to tackle climate change and threatens British agriculture.

By Laura Bannister
Why the EU’s request for a level playing field is in all our interests
European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (R) and the UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost pose for a photo before the start of the first post-Brexit trade talks between the EU and the United Kingdom | Dati Bendo/DPA/PA Images
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This week the long-awaited second stage of Brexit finally gets started, as the UK begins its formal trade negotiations with the EU.

Tensions are already evident. The UK government made clear in its negotiating mandate published last week that it is refusing to lock in any minimum standards on labour rights, food quality or environmental protection, claiming the UK leads the way in these areas and will not accept “the compulsion of a treaty”. Campaigners are concerned that these could be eroded after Brexit, especially if the UK bends to lower US standards through a free trade deal.

Meanwhile the EU considers these minimum standards (known as the ‘level playing field) to be a vital pre-condition for an agreement. If the UK won’t sign up to them, the EU insists it will not grant the UK tariff-free, quota-free trade with the bloc.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0