Lord Brittan gives evidence to House of Lords committee investigating US/EU trade deal

The House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on External Affairs is holding an inquiry to look at the benefits, both to the EU and the UK, of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which was launched earlier this year.

The deal, which aims to reduce red tape and remove barriers to trade, could boost the UK's GDP by as much as £10bn every year, according to the Centre for Economic Policy Research. It was hailed by David Cameron as, potentially, ‘the biggest bilateral trade deal in history.'

In the committee's first evidence session, Lord Leon Brittan will be asked what is in it for the UK in terms of economic and political gains.

The witness will be asked a range of questions, such as:

• Why have past attempts to build an EU/US free trade agreement not succeeded? 
• Is the timetable of two years feasible?
• What are likely to be the most significant political difficulties to an agreement on each side of the Atlantic? 
• What are the implications for the TTIP negotiations of the domestic debate within the UK on EU membership?
• What might be the adverse effects for the UK if TTIP negotiations fail?

The evidence session will take place on Thursday 10 October at 10.05 am in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.