EURO MPs began debating the secretive and anti-democratic Trade in Services Agreement (Tisa) yesterday, ahead of a vote on Wednesday.

Tisa is being negotiated behind closed doors between 23 “partners” — one of which, the EU, dictates to 28 countries including Britain.

But leaked documents have shown that the proposed agreement would force signatories to open up all their public services to private-sector outsourcing or competition.

Campaigners warned yesterday that unless Tisa is stopped in its tracks, publicly owned and run services could become a thing of the past.

“This deal is a threat to the very concept of public services,” said Global Justice Now director Nick Dearden.

“It is a turbo-charged privatisation pact, based on the idea that, rather than serving the public interest, governments must step out of the way and allow corporations to ‘get on with it’.”

Meanwhile, German MPs were granted access yesterday to the equally anti-democratic Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for the first time yesterday — under conditions of top secrecy.

A special reading room was set up in Berlin where MPs can peruse the text, though they are not allowed to bring in cameras or mobile phones and may only take limited notes.

War on Want executive director John Hilary said: “It is laughable to suggest that the TTIP negotiations are in any sense transparent or legitimate.

“MPs are expressly forbidden from sharing any information with the general public, despite the fact that it is our rights that are being traded away behind closed doors.”

“TTIP makes a mockery of democracy and no amount of government propaganda can hide that. The farce goes on.”