It’s Our Future has condemned today’s announcement of an agreement-in-principle between New Zealand and the United
Kingdom.
“When Labour came into Government we were told there was going to be a new approach to how we did these deals, however
this deal seems to be surrounded in the same level of secrecy as the TPPA”, said It’s Our Future spokesperson Edward
Miller.
“New Zealanders have not forgotten about Labour’s TPPA turnaround. The Government needs to release the text of this
agreement in principle now so we can assess whether this is in our interest, and give us a real say on whether the deal
is signed or not.”
Miller also noted that this deal goes much further than just market access for New Zealand’s primary products and could
have serious consequences for people’s lives.
“The United Kingdom is one of the few remaining WTO members that still opposes a waiver of intellectual property rules
for Covid-19 vaccines.”
“Currently the United Kingdom is acting as a barrier to equitable vaccine access for low-income countries, which,
according to a recent UNCTAD report, could wipe $1.5 trillion off incomes in the Global South.”
“We are concerned that this deal will entrench those barriers instead of helping to break them down. We need to see the
text to assess its consequences, and judge whether our Government considers it more important to support an equitable
global vaccine rollout, or to reduce trade barriers with the countries that are blocking that rollout.”