A north Powys environmental group have today (Monday, June 21) staged a protest outside the Welshpool office of Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams.

Activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Newtown and Welshpool were protesting against the UK’s proposed trade agreement with Australia, the details of which were released last week.

More than a dozen people attended the protest in High Street which included speeches from Plaid Cymru's Elwyn Vaughan, Steve Boyd of Wales for Europe and David France from Extinction Rebellion.

A statement from the group said: “In solidarity with local farmers, we will be joining this protest at Craig Williams’ office at 11am on Monday.

“In the days following G7, the UK Government will meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to rush through a trade deal allowing cheap, low-quality food imports to flood the UK and Welsh markets.

“This will destroy local livelihoods, further damage the climate, and create a race to the bottom on animal welfare.

“The only ones who will really benefit from this trade deal are multinational corporations - with farmers and the planet paying the price.

“Craig Williams has promised to protect the local economy, but his record on issues such as the Agricultural Bill shows his true colours - he’s acting as a representative of Westminster and nothing else.”

Mr Williams sits on the International Trade commons select committee, which is set to scrutinise any trade deal between the UK and Australia.

A provisional agreement between the two countries was expected to be reached this week, with a delegation from Australia in London last week following the recent G7 summit held in Cornwall.

The deal has proved controversial due in part to proposed tariff-free access to UK markets for Australian farm exports, which Montgomeryshire farmers feel will put them at a significant disadvantage due to higher welfare standards in the UK.