For the first time ever, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce is welcoming two key speakers for the next edition of our most popular event series, Mr. Gareth Thomas MP, Shadow Minister for International Trade and Mr. Stephen Doughty MP, Shadow Minister for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories.
As Shadow Ministers from the Official Opposition, Mr. Gareth Thomas MP and Mr. Stephen Doughty MP will delve into their respective policy areas for the Labour Party as the Opposition present itself as an alternative government-in-waiting.
The Shadow Minister for International Trade will cover:
· Overall free trade agreement (FTA) and market access strategy
· FTA negotiations
· Bilateral trade relations between the UK and Spain.
· Multilateral policy
· UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), and Services Investment and Digital Trade (SID)
The Shadow Minister for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories will address:
· UK-EU relationship
· National security
· NATO
The talks will be followed by a Q&A session, prior to the opportunity to network with other guests over a light lunch.
This event is hosted by the stunning Meliá White House hotel, Patrons of the Spanish Chamber.
Date & time: Thursday 21st March 2024, 12:00pm (for a 12:15pm start) – 13:30pm
Location: Meliá White House | Albany St | London NW1 3UP
This event is free for Members of the Spanish Chamber.
About the Ministers:
Gareth Thomas MP, Shadow Minister for International Trade
Born and educated in Harrow, Gareth earned degrees from Aberystwyth University and Kings College London before working as teacher.
Gareth Thomas was elected to Harrow Council in 1990 and first elected as the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Harrow West at the 1997 General Election.
Gareth served as a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee and as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Education.
In 2003, he was promoted to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development. There he stayed under Gordon Brown as junior minister for trade policy, dividing his time between DfID and the new Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. He was promoted to Minister of State with the same dual brief in October 2008, then re-appointed Minister of State in the Department for International Development on 8th June 2009.
In Opposition, Gareth has been Shadow Minister for Civil Society, Shadow Minister for Europe, Shadow Minister for Local Government and is currently the Shadow Minister for Trade.
Gareth was chairman of the Co-operative Party from 2000 to 2019. Gareth has written on social responsibility and a low-carbon economy.
Stephen Doughty MP, Shadow Minister for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories
Stephen Doughty was elected as Welsh Labour & Co-operative Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth in a by-election in November 2012. He was re-elected in the General Elections of 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Born and educated locally in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, he went on to study at Lester B. Pearson UWC in Canada, Oxford University and St Andrews University. He later worked for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, members of the National Assembly for Wales, and spent a number of years working in for humanitarian and international development NGOs World Vision UK, Oxfam GB, Oxfam International and Oxfam Cymru.
He served in the last Labour UK Government as Special Adviser on poverty, development, trade and humanitarian affairs to the then UK Secretary of State for International Development.
Following the election of Keir Starmer as Leader of the Opposition in 2020, he was appointed Shadow Foreign Affairs and International Development Minister, covering Africa, International Development and the UK Overseas Territories.
In Autumn 2021 he was appointed as Shadow Minister for Europe, North America and the Overseas Territories. He also covers themes including global security, NATO, the Polar regions, oceans and LGBT+ rights.