Fay Jones MP championed the NHS and British farming in her speech during the Trade Bill Second Reading in the House of Commons.
The Trade Bill legislates for a roll-over our current trading agreements that we were a party to due to our EU Membership. It contains key measures that will deliver for UK businesses and consumers across the UK, providing continuity and certainty as the UK leaves the transition period.
As the last backbench MP to be called, Miss Jones laid out her support for the Bill via video link. She heralded the Bill as "one of continuity, which during these uncertain times, will provide reassurance to many of the hard-working rural businesses across Brecon and Radnorshire".
Miss Jones used her speech to debunk the myth that the National Health Service may be vulnerable to privatisation at the end of the transition period, stating "every day, we are reminded of the overwhelming importance of our NHS and the services that it provides... It is clear that the NHS will remain a public service that is free at the point of use, paid for by taxation and is a fundamentally works for the benefit of the public". The Trade Bill itself makes clear that the Government Procurement Agreement, which the UK will join in its own right at the end of the transition period, does not apply to the procurement of UK healthcare services.
Brecon and Radnorshire is the heart of rural Wales and over 52,000 people work the Welsh land every day. The Welsh food and drink industry is worth almost £7 billion and employs almost quarter of a million people. Miss Jones recognised that " their high-quality produce is more than a tradable commodity, it’s a source of deep pride". She welcomed "the Government’s commitment to ensuring that we will not compromise on our standards when pursuing free trade deals, as this would inevitably see the decline in our prized agriculture sector" stating that this would be "something I cannot accept".
The Trade Bill will establish a Trade Remedies Authority which will be the UK-wide body responsible for investigating claims of harmful and unfair trading practices, such as the dumping of foreign products on the UK market at below fair market rates. Fay Jones MP recognised the importance of this body providing a safety net for our domestic industries while we simultaneously secure the benefits of global free trade. She said "it is imperative that this Authority has the necessary powers to protect UK producers against unfair trading practices and I wholeheartedly support these aims".
Commenting on her speech, Miss Jones said:
"The Trade Bill rolls over our trading agreements as we leave the European Union. Cynics have argued that this is the vehicle through which we will have to roll over and agree to every demand made by the US Government. Most serious of all is the completely inaccurate suggestion that the UK Government will use future trade deals to sell off the NHS and flood our markets with cheap food; nothing could be further from the truth. I was elected on a manifesto commitment to protect two things – our National Health Service and our farmers. These are commitments that I take incredibly seriously and I will always use my vote in support of both."
Fay Jones MP's full speech can be watched here.