The world WILL buy British, Boris, if you back our farmers

OF ALL the pledges that led to Boris Johnson’s landslide election victory last year, ‘ Get Brexit Done’ is surely the most famous. But every Conservative MP elected then stood on another important promise.

We vowed that as we regained our independent, free- trading status, we would maintain the UK’s reputation for world-class food and animal welfare standards

The manifesto said: ‘ In all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards.’

That means we should not allow food not produced to our high quality levels – such as hormonefed beef or chlorinated chicken – into the UK as the price for securing lucrative trade deals.

I would like us to make good on that manifesto pledge in the following way.

Firstly, we should establish a powerful, independent body of food, farming, welfare and environmental experts to advise Ministers on each and every trade deal.

And secondly, we must ensure that Parliament has the final say on overseeing those deals.

The International Trade Secretary insists that the Government, by establishing a new temporary Trade and Agriculture Commission, has already done enough.

While this new advisory commission is welcome, it is not sufficient. We cannot have a food and trade deal watchdog that, on current plans, expires in less than six months’ time and before most future trade deals are finalised.

It needs to be set up on a statutory, permanent basis, report to Parliament and have a wider, fully representative panel of members. Parliament must have a vital role in devising future trade deals – with a vote setting out general principles for draft trade deal negotiations and a simple ‘Yes/No’ vote when they are concluded. That would fulfil the key Brexit message of ‘take back control’ and mirror how the US Congress oversees t rade deals in Washington.

Of course, it is the Government that negotiates trade agreements but it should be in partnership with MPs.

I appeal to Ministers to accept these proposals and heed The Mail on Sunday’s own Save Our Family Farms campaign.

I would also urge them to listen to top chefs such as Jamie Oli ver a nd Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall, who have joined up with charities and celebrities to lobby against sub- standard food being allowed into our country through an open letter to the Prime Minister, published in this newspaper today, left.

MPS will next month have another chance to take a stand when we vote on the final stages of t he Agriculture Bill and when we can back sensible amendments passed in the House of Lords.

But it would be far better if the Government and backbenchers came together now to back a sensible compromise – a tougher version of the Commission already set up combined with a stronger role for Parliament.

That would confirm the Prime Minister’s steadfast commitment to high standards of food and animal welfare.

It would also help secure the goal set out so clearly in our manifesto that ‘we want people, both at home and abroad, to be lining up to buy British’.