✍️ Write to the Business Secretary and Trade Minister...

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Mr

Chris

Bryant

Department for Business and Trade

Mr

Peter

Kyle

Department of Business and Trade

Dear {contact_data~salutation},

I am writing to you to urge you to reconsider the UK’s policy on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).  
 
ISDS is undermining UK climate policy. It is a favoured tool of fossil companies, which have been awarded $80 billion since 1998 through suing governments that enact climate policy.  
 
The current ISDS case being brought against the UK for denying the application of a new coal mine in Cumbria is a case in point. The fact that a Singaporean shell company, owned by an opaque private equity company in the Cayman Islands, can use a 1975 investment treaty to sue the UK government for upholding its own climate commitments, demonstrates the absurdity of the ISDS system. In an era of climate crisis and energy instability – when we urgently need to transition away from fossil fuels – we cannot allow ISDS to slow us down.   
 
ISDS is also undermining UK security. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian oligarchs have used the ISDS case to sue European governments for imposing sanctions on them and their companies. As you know, the UK is currently being sued under ISDS by billionaire oil tycoon Mikhail Fridman. When used correctly, sanctions can be a valuable tool for standing up to aggressive regimes. The UK should not allow the ISDS system to undermine it.   
 
As the government moves to strike new trade deals with countries around the world, it should not constrain the space for future policy making and undermine parliamentary sovereignty of future governments by including ISDS provisions. 
 
We therefore urge you to:  
 
1. Commit not to include ISDS in future trade and investment agreements.  
2. Renegotiate or terminate existing trade and investment agreements containing ISDS.  
 
The last government showed leadership when it exited the Energy Charter Treaty, and the Labour party, the opposition at the time, was right to support it. The current government must have the courage to build on this success.  
 
Kind regards,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}