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House of Lords International Agreements Committee confirms Grimstone rules

Published on: 23 May 2022

Table of contents

  • Grimstone rules
  • Pre-negotiations
  • During negotiations
  • Post signature
  • Significance

Article summary

International Trade analysis: The House of Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC) has welcomed the government’s undertaking to increase scrutiny of free trade agreements (FTAs) and other trade deals in an exchange of letters with Lord Grimstone of Boscobel, Minister for Investment. The Grimstone rules will ensure that Parliament is consulted at the pre-negotiation, negotiation, and post-signature phases of FTAs. Baroness Hayter, chair of the IAC, has also called for greater scrutiny in non-legally binding arrangements such as Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs), but the government has not agreed that the Ponsonby rule allowing for parliamentary scrutiny extends to instruments such as MoUs.

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