An MP from the Scottish National Party came out on top last night after the Conservatives voted against an amendment which would have safeguarded British food standards.
Dave Doogan made the point that many of those who voted against striking food items such as chlorinated chicken and hormone treated beef from future trade deals may well have thought differently had it meant “chlorine-washed chanterelle mushrooms or hormone injected foie gras”.
The government voted with majority of 53 to strip amendment 16 from the Agriculture Bill.
As Caroline Lucas pointed out, that is despite promises in their manifesto not to do so:
The division list showed 14 Tory MPs rebelled against the party – including former environment secretary Theresa Villiers and Scottish Conservative Party leader Douglas Ross.
The Government argued that existing protections are already in place and they have no intention of watering them down.
Speaking as Lords’ amendments to the Bill were considered, senior Tory Neil Parish said the legislation was heading in the right direction but the UK should be a “great beacon” on animal welfare and the environment when negotiating future trade deals.
The chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee said: “We have in our manifesto the commitment to both animal welfare and the environment.
“Would it not be right for the Secretary of State for International Trade to have the armour of having the backing of Parliament to say ‘I can’t negotiate away that particular part of the deal with you because it is written down in law’?”
Conservative Richard Fuller (North East Bedfordshire), intervening, expressed “frustration” over ministers suggesting the food standards protections need to be put in other legislation.
Mr Parish added: “We, the British, believe in animal welfare, we believe in the environment… so does this Government, but for goodness sake getting the backing of Parliament.”
Ahead of the debate, a tractor demonstration took place in central London as farmers demanded food standards are upheld in post-Brexit trade deals.
RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood, reacting to the vote on food standards, said: “Tonight, the Government once again failed to make good their manifesto promise that they will not sell out the UK’s animal welfare for a quick trade deal.”
SNP environment spokeswoman Deidre Brock added in a statement: “By refusing to enshrine into legislation the high standards that currently protect us, Boris Johnson’s Government has fired the starting gun for a post-Brexit race to the bottom, which threatens our superb food and agriculture sectors and risks flooding our stores with low-quality produce.”
Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat environment spokesman, also said: “The Conservatives have continually promised to back British farmers throughout the Brexit process, but their failure tonight to uphold our high food standards reveals just how hollow those promises were.”
Here’s a full list of MPs who voted to strip the amendment from the bill:
Nigel Adams (Conservative – Selby and Ainsty)
Bim Afolami (Conservative – Hitchin and Harpenden)
Adam Afriyie (Conservative – Windsor)
Imran Ahmad Khan (Conservative – Wakefield)
Nickie Aiken (Conservative – Cities of London and Westminster)
Lucy Allan (Conservative – Telford) (Proxy vote cast by Mark Spencer)
Lee Anderson (Conservative – Ashfield)
Stuart Anderson (Conservative – Wolverhampton South West)
Caroline Ansell (Conservative – Eastbourne)
Edward Argar (Conservative – Charnwood)
Sarah Atherton (Conservative – Wrexham)
Victoria Atkins (Conservative – Louth and Horncastle)
Gareth Bacon (Conservative – Orpington)
Richard Bacon (Conservative – South Norfolk) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Kemi Badenoch (Conservative – Saffron Walden)
Shaun Bailey (Conservative – West Bromwich West)
Siobhan Baillie (Conservative – Stroud) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Duncan Baker (Conservative – North Norfolk)
Steve Baker (Conservative – Wycombe)
Harriett Baldwin (Conservative – West Worcestershire)
Steve Barclay (Conservative – North East Cambridgeshire)
John Baron (Conservative – Basildon and Billericay) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Simon Baynes (Conservative – Clwyd South)
Aaron Bell (Conservative – Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Scott Benton (Conservative – Blackpool South)
Paul Beresford (Conservative – Mole Valley) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Jake Berry (Conservative – Rossendale and Darwen) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Saqib Bhatti (Conservative – Meriden)
Bob Blackman (Conservative – Harrow East) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Crispin Blunt (Conservative – Reigate)
Peter Bone (Conservative – Wellingborough) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Andrew Bowie (Conservative – West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Ben Bradley (Conservative – Mansfield)
Graham Brady (Conservative – Altrincham and Sale West)
Suella Braverman (Conservative – Fareham)
Jack Brereton (Conservative – Stoke-on-Trent South)
Andrew Bridgen (Conservative – North West Leicestershire) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Paul Bristow (Conservative – Peterborough)
Sara Britcliffe (Conservative – Hyndburn)
James Brokenshire (Conservative – Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Anthony Browne (Conservative – South Cambridgeshire)
Fiona Bruce (Conservative – Congleton)
Felicity Buchan (Conservative – Kensington)
Robert Buckland (Conservative – South Swindon)
Alex Burghart (Conservative – Brentwood and Ongar)
Conor Burns (Conservative – Bournemouth West) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Rob Butler (Conservative – Aylesbury)
Alun Cairns (Conservative – Vale of Glamorgan)
Andy Carter (Conservative – Warrington South)
James Cartlidge (Conservative – South Suffolk)
William Cash (Conservative – Stone) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Miriam Cates (Conservative – Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Maria Caulfield (Conservative – Lewes)
Alex Chalk (Conservative – Cheltenham)
Rehman Chishti (Conservative – Gillingham and Rainham)
Jo Churchill (Conservative – Bury St Edmunds)
Greg Clark (Conservative – Tunbridge Wells)
Simon Clarke (Conservative – Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Theo Clarke (Conservative – Stafford)
Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative – Bassetlaw)
Chris Clarkson (Conservative – Heywood and Middleton) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
James Cleverly (Conservative – Braintree)
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative – The Cotswolds)
Thérèse Coffey (Conservative – Suffolk Coastal)
Elliot Colburn (Conservative – Carshalton and Wallington)
Damian Collins (Conservative – Folkestone and Hythe) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Alberto Costa (Conservative – South Leicestershire)
Robert Courts (Conservative – Witney)
Claire Coutinho (Conservative – East Surrey)
Geoffrey Cox (Conservative – Torridge and West Devon) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Stephen Crabb (Conservative – Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Virginia Crosbie (Conservative – Ynys Môn)
James Daly (Conservative – Bury North)
David T C Davies (Conservative – Monmouth)
James Davies (Conservative – Vale of Clwyd) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Gareth Davies (Conservative – Grantham and Stamford)
Mims Davies (Conservative – Mid Sussex)
Philip Davies (Conservative – Shipley)
David Davis (Conservative – Haltemprice and Howden)
Dehenna Davison (Conservative – Bishop Auckland)
Caroline Dinenage (Conservative – Gosport)
Sarah Dines (Conservative – Derbyshire Dales)
Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative – Huntingdon)
Michelle Donelan (Conservative – Chippenham)
Nadine Dorries (Conservative – Mid Bedfordshire)
Steve Double (Conservative – St Austell and Newquay)
Oliver Dowden (Conservative – Hertsmere)
Jackie Doyle-Price (Conservative – Thurrock)
Richard Drax (Conservative – South Dorset)
Flick Drummond (Conservative – Meon Valley)
James Duddridge (Conservative – Rochford and Southend East)
David Duguid (Conservative – Banff and Buchan)
Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative – Chingford and Woodford Green)
Mark Eastwood (Conservative – Dewsbury)
Ruth Edwards (Conservative – Rushcliffe) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Michael Ellis (Conservative – Northampton North)
Tobias Ellwood (Conservative – Bournemouth East)
Natalie Elphicke (Conservative – Dover) (Proxy vote cast by Maria Caulfield)
George Eustice (Conservative – Camborne and Redruth) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Luke Evans (Conservative – Bosworth)
David Evennett (Conservative – Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Ben Everitt (Conservative – Milton Keynes North)
Michael Fabricant (Conservative – Lichfield) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Laura Farris (Conservative – Newbury)
Simon Fell (Conservative – Barrow and Furness)
Katherine Fletcher (Conservative – South Ribble) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Mark Fletcher (Conservative – Bolsover)
Nick Fletcher (Conservative – Don Valley)
Vicky Ford (Conservative – Chelmsford)
Kevin Foster (Conservative – Torbay)
Mark Francois (Conservative – Rayleigh and Wickford) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Lucy Frazer (Conservative – South East Cambridgeshire)
Mike Freer (Conservative – Finchley and Golders Green)
Richard Fuller (Conservative – North East Bedfordshire)
Marcus Fysh (Conservative – Yeovil) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Mark Garnier (Conservative – Wyre Forest)
Nusrat Ghani (Conservative – Wealden) (Proxy vote cast by Steve Baker)
Nick Gibb (Conservative – Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Peter Gibson (Conservative – Darlington)
Jo Gideon (Conservative – Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Cheryl Gillan (Conservative – Chesham and Amersham) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
John Glen (Conservative – Salisbury)
Robert Goodwill (Conservative – Scarborough and Whitby)
Michael Gove (Conservative – Surrey Heath)
Richard Graham (Conservative – Gloucester)
Helen Grant (Conservative – Maidstone and The Weald) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
James Gray (Conservative – North Wiltshire)
Chris Grayling (Conservative – Epsom and Ewell)
Chris Green (Conservative – Bolton West)
Damian Green (Conservative – Ashford)
Andrew Griffith (Conservative – Arundel and South Downs)
Kate Griffiths (Conservative – Burton)
James Grundy (Conservative – Leigh)
Jonathan Gullis (Conservative – Stoke-on-Trent North)
Robert Halfon (Conservative – Harlow)
Luke Hall (Conservative – Thornbury and Yate)
Matt Hancock (Conservative – West Suffolk)
Greg Hands (Conservative – Chelsea and Fulham)
Mark Harper (Conservative – Forest of Dean)
Rebecca Harris (Conservative – Castle Point)
Trudy Harrison (Conservative – Copeland)
Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative – Hastings and Rye)
Simon Hart (Conservative – Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
John Hayes (Conservative – South Holland and The Deepings)
Oliver Heald (Conservative – North East Hertfordshire) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
James Heappey (Conservative – Wells)
Chris Heaton-Harris (Conservative – Daventry)
Gordon Henderson (Conservative – Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Darren Henry (Conservative – Broxtowe)
Antony Higginbotham (Conservative – Burnley)
Damian Hinds (Conservative – East Hampshire)
Richard Holden (Conservative – North West Durham)
Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative – Thirsk and Malton)
Philip Hollobone (Conservative – Kettering)
Adam Holloway (Conservative – Gravesham) (Proxy vote cast by Maria Caulfield)
Paul Holmes (Conservative – Eastleigh)
John Howell (Conservative – Henley)
Paul Howell (Conservative – Sedgefield)
Nigel Huddleston (Conservative – Mid Worcestershire)
Eddie Hughes (Conservative – Walsall North)
Jane Hunt (Conservative – Loughborough)
Jeremy Hunt (Conservative – South West Surrey)
Tom Hunt (Conservative – Ipswich) (Proxy vote cast by Dehenna Davison)
Alister Jack (Conservative – Dumfries and Galloway)
Sajid Javid (Conservative – Bromsgrove)
Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative – North East Hampshire) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Bernard Jenkin (Conservative – Harwich and North Essex)
Mark Jenkinson (Conservative – Workington)
Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative – Morley and Outwood) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Robert Jenrick (Conservative – Newark)
Caroline Johnson (Conservative – Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Gareth Johnson (Conservative – Dartford)
David Johnston (Conservative – Wantage)
Andrew Jones (Conservative – Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Fay Jones (Conservative – Brecon and Radnorshire)
David Jones (Conservative – Clwyd West)
Marcus Jones (Conservative – Nuneaton)
Simon Jupp (Conservative – East Devon)
Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative – Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Alicia Kearns (Conservative – Rutland and Melton) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Gillian Keegan (Conservative – Chichester)
Julian Knight (Conservative – Solihull) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Greg Knight (Conservative – East Yorkshire) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Danny Kruger (Conservative – Devizes)
John Lamont (Conservative – Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Andrea Leadsom (Conservative – South Northamptonshire)
Edward Leigh (Conservative – Gainsborough)
Ian Levy (Conservative – Blyth Valley)
Andrew Lewer (Conservative – Northampton South)
Brandon Lewis (Conservative – Great Yarmouth)
Julian Lewis (Independent – New Forest East)
Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative – Bridgwater and West Somerset) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Chris Loder (Conservative – West Dorset)
Mark Logan (Conservative – Bolton North East)
Marco Longhi (Conservative – Dudley North)
Julia Lopez (Conservative – Hornchurch and Upminster)
Jack Lopresti (Conservative – Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Jonathan Lord (Conservative – Woking) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Tim Loughton (Conservative – East Worthing and Shoreham)
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative – South Thanet)
Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative – Truro and Falmouth)
Rachel Maclean (Conservative – Redditch)
Alan Mak (Conservative – Havant)
Kit Malthouse (Conservative – North West Hampshire)
Anthony Mangnall (Conservative – Totnes)
Scott Mann (Conservative – North Cornwall)
Julie Marson (Conservative – Hertford and Stortford)
Theresa May (Conservative – Maidenhead)
Jerome Mayhew (Conservative – Broadland)
Paul Maynard (Conservative – Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Karl McCartney (Conservative – Lincoln) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Esther McVey (Conservative – Tatton)
Mark Menzies (Conservative – Fylde) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Johnny Mercer (Conservative – Plymouth, Moor View)
Huw Merriman (Conservative – Bexhill and Battle)
Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative – South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Robin Millar (Conservative – Aberconwy)
Maria Miller (Conservative – Basingstoke)
Amanda Milling (Conservative – Cannock Chase)
Nigel Mills (Conservative – Amber Valley) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Andrew Mitchell (Conservative – Sutton Coldfield)
Gagan Mohindra (Conservative – South West Hertfordshire)
Damien Moore (Conservative – Southport)
Robbie Moore (Conservative – Keighley)
Penny Mordaunt (Conservative – Portsmouth North)
Anne Marie Morris (Conservative – Newton Abbot) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
David Morris (Conservative – Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
James Morris (Conservative – Halesowen and Rowley Regis)
Joy Morrissey (Conservative – Beaconsfield)
Wendy Morton (Conservative – Aldridge-Brownhills)
Kieran Mullan (Conservative – Crewe and Nantwich)
Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative – Scunthorpe)
Sheryll Murray (Conservative – South East Cornwall)
Andrew Murrison (Conservative – South West Wiltshire)
Robert Neill (Conservative – Bromley and Chislehurst)
Lia Nici (Conservative – Great Grimsby)
Jesse Norman (Conservative – Hereford and South Herefordshire)
Neil O’Brien (Conservative – Harborough)
Matthew Offord (Conservative – Hendon) (Proxy vote cast by Rebecca Harris)
Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party – North Antrim)
Priti Patel (Conservative – Witham)
Owen Paterson (Conservative – North Shropshire) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Mark Pawsey (Conservative – Rugby)
Mike Penning (Conservative – Hemel Hempstead) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
John Penrose (Conservative – Weston-super-Mare)
Andrew Percy (Conservative – Brigg and Goole)
Chris Philp (Conservative – Croydon South)
Christopher Pincher (Conservative – Tamworth)
Dan Poulter (Conservative – Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) (Proxy vote cast by Peter Aldous)
Rebecca Pow (Conservative – Taunton Deane)
Victoria Prentis (Conservative – Banbury)
Jeremy Quin (Conservative – Horsham)
Will Quince (Conservative – Colchester)
Dominic Raab (Conservative – Esher and Walton)
Tom Randall (Conservative – Gedling)
John Redwood (Conservative – Wokingham)
Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative – North East Somerset)
Nicola Richards (Conservative – West Bromwich East)
Angela Richardson (Conservative – Guildford)
Rob Roberts (Conservative – Delyn)
Laurence Robertson (Conservative – Tewkesbury)
Mary Robinson (Conservative – Cheadle) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Andrew Rosindell (Conservative – Romford) (Proxy vote cast by Rebecca Harris)
Lee Rowley (Conservative – North East Derbyshire)
Dean Russell (Conservative – Watford)
David Rutley (Conservative – Macclesfield)
Gary Sambrook (Conservative – Birmingham, Northfield)
Selaine Saxby (Conservative – North Devon) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Paul Scully (Conservative – Sutton and Cheam)
Bob Seely (Conservative – Isle of Wight)
Andrew Selous (Conservative – South West Bedfordshire)
Alok Sharma (Conservative – Reading West)
Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative – Elmet and Rothwell) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
David Simmonds (Conservative – Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Chris Skidmore (Conservative – Kingswood)
Chloe Smith (Conservative – Norwich North) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Greg Smith (Conservative – Buckingham)
Julian Smith (Conservative – Skipton and Ripon)
Royston Smith (Conservative – Southampton, Itchen)
Amanda Solloway (Conservative – Derby North)
Ben Spencer (Conservative – Runnymede and Weybridge)
Alexander Stafford (Conservative – Rother Valley)
Andrew Stephenson (Conservative – Pendle) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Jane Stevenson (Conservative – Wolverhampton North East)
John Stevenson (Conservative – Carlisle)
Bob Stewart (Conservative – Beckenham)
Iain Stewart (Conservative – Milton Keynes South)
Gary Streeter (Conservative – South West Devon) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Mel Stride (Conservative – Central Devon) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Graham Stuart (Conservative – Beverley and Holderness)
James Sunderland (Conservative – Bracknell)
Desmond Swayne (Conservative – New Forest West)
Robert Syms (Conservative – Poole)
Derek Thomas (Conservative – St Ives)
Maggie Throup (Conservative – Erewash)
Edward Timpson (Conservative – Eddisbury)
Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative – Rochester and Strood)
Justin Tomlinson (Conservative – North Swindon)
Michael Tomlinson (Conservative – Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Craig Tracey (Conservative – North Warwickshire)
Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative – Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Laura Trott (Conservative – Sevenoaks)
Elizabeth Truss (Conservative – South West Norfolk)
Tom Tugendhat (Conservative – Tonbridge and Malling)
Shailesh Vara (Conservative – North West Cambridgeshire)
Martin Vickers (Conservative – Cleethorpes)
Matt Vickers (Conservative – Stockton South)
Christian Wakeford (Conservative – Bury South)
Robin Walker (Conservative – Worcester) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
Charles Walker (Conservative – Broxbourne)
Ben Wallace (Conservative – Wyre and Preston North)
Jamie Wallis (Conservative – Bridgend) (Proxy vote cast by Stuart Andrew)
David Warburton (Conservative – Somerton and Frome)
Matt Warman (Conservative – Boston and Skegness)
Giles Watling (Conservative – Clacton)
Suzanne Webb (Conservative – Stourbridge)
Helen Whately (Conservative – Faversham and Mid Kent)
Heather Wheeler (Conservative – South Derbyshire)
Craig Whittaker (Conservative – Calder Valley)
John Whittingdale (Conservative – Maldon)
Bill Wiggin (Conservative – North Herefordshire)
James Wild (Conservative – North West Norfolk)
Craig Williams (Conservative – Montgomeryshire)
Gavin Williamson (Conservative – South Staffordshire)
Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party – East Antrim)
Mike Wood (Conservative – Dudley South)
Jacob Young (Conservative – Redcar)
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative – Stratford-on-Avon)
Related: Tractor protest planned as MPs “denied a vote” on blocking chlorinated chicken imports
