Fossil fuel companies have a secret weapon. Here’s how Britain can help take it away from them | Cleodie Rickard

Eleven countries have already pledged to exit the disastrous international charter treaty. We must join them

If Labour wants an energy transition in which working people don't foot the bill, it has to address fossil fuel companies' secret weapon against national climate laws: the energy charter treaty (ECT).

The treaty is a multi-country investment deal for the energy sector that contains the notorious investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), a mechanism written into international agreements that companies can use to sue governments over policy changes they allege could affect their profits. The cases are heard in secretive tribunals outside the national legal system.

Cleodie Rickard is trade campaign manager at Global Justice Now