TTIP is a very bad excuse to vote for Brexit | Nick Dearden

Barack Obama gave TTIP the hard sell, but leaving the EU would only make the controversial trade deal more likely - and possibly worse

Barack Obama's key message to Europe's leaders last week was "let's speed up TTIP". The US-EU trade deal, formally called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, has been mired in controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. The "free trade" agenda has become poison in the US primaries, forcing even pro-trade Hillary Clinton to re-examine TTIP.

The next round of talks begin on Monday in New York and Obama is worried - unless serious progress is made in coming months, his trade legacy may be doomed. The problem for the US president is selling TTIP at the same time as trying to warn against the dangers of Brexit. This is a tough ask because TTIP has been a godsend for Brexit campaigners, who argue that the deal is a major reason to cut loose from Brussels.

If being in the EU has brought us TTIP, it has also brought us the means to stop it

Related: What is TTIP and why should we be angry about it?

Continue reading...