Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Trade Agreements: Non-EU Countries

Thursday 5 March 2020 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • We are pursuing concurrent trade negotiations with the EU and the United States.
  • Our ambition is to engage in free trade negotiations with the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
  • The Government is determined that the entire United Kingdom will benefit from these trade deals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rupa Huq Lab Ealing Central and Acton
Business & Trade
Context

Progress on non-EU trade negotiations has been slower than expected, with only 8% of existing total trade covered by roll-over deals as of March 31. The questioner highlights concerns about the US negotiations being conducted in tandem with EU ones and potential divergence in objectives.

Question

What recent progress have we made on non-EU trade agreements? Roll-over deals amount to only 8% of existing total trade, yet all was promised by March 31. Are US negotiations happening alongside EU talks with fully trained teams aware of each other's actions?

Answer from Conor Burns

Yes, we are pursuing concurrent trade negotiations with the EU and the United States. The same applies to the way the EU is currently negotiating with the United States.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not address the specific ask about fully trained teams aware of each other's actions.

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Q2 Rupa Huq Lab Ealing Central and Acton
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The questioner asserts that a no-deal Brexit is equivalent to an Australia-terms Brexit. The Yellowhammer report predicts significant disruptions including two and half day waits at ports for lorries.

Question

Is there such a thing as an Australian free trade deal with the EU? An Australia-terms Brexit means no deal, given the Yellowhammer report's prediction of port delays and trade disruptions. Is that acceptable?

Answer from Conor Burns

Our ambition is to engage in free trade negotiations with the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The interest in engaging bilaterally around the world now that we control our own independent trade policy is unquenchable.

Not addressed: The questioner asked about accepting a no-deal Brexit; the answer did not address this directly, instead focusing on future ambitions and opportunities.

How: Changing Subject

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Q3 Brendan O'Hara SNP Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The questioner inquired about the possibility of a no-deal Brexit as an acceptable outcome given the Yellowhammer report's predictions.

Question

Is there such a thing as an Australian free trade deal with the EU? An Australia-terms Brexit means no deal, according to the Yellowhammer report's prediction of port delays and trade disruptions. Is that acceptable?

Answer from Conor Burns

Our ambition is to engage in free trade negotiations with the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The interest in engaging bilaterally around the world now that we control our own independent trade policy is unquenchable.

Not addressed: The questioner asked about accepting a no-deal Brexit; the answer did not address this directly, instead focusing on future ambitions and opportunities.

How: Changing Subject

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Q4 Gregory Campbell DUP East Londonderry
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

The questioner inquires about the focus of Government on ensuring that trade deals are shared across the entirety of the United Kingdom.

Question

Is the collective mind of Government concentrated on sharing these deals across the entire UK?

Answer from Conor Burns

Yes, we are determined that the entire United Kingdom—all nations and every region of it—will benefit. I had the pleasure of returning home to Northern Ireland only a couple of weeks ago to talk about those ambitions with the Executive and businesses in Northern Ireland.

Answered
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