Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

UK-Japan Trade and Investment Priorities

Thursday 3 September 2020 · 1 question

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 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Neale Hanvey inquired about the progress of UK-Japan trade discussions and the potential negative impacts on trade, jobs, and recovery from the covid crisis.
  • Graham Stuart dismissed the idea of a failed trade policy, noting that continuity agreements have been largely maintained and there are opportunities to advance further with Japan.
  • Graham Stuart highlighted the EU's lack of success in securing a comprehensive trade deal with Japan.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Neale Hanvey SNP Aberdeen North
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

Discussions on the UK-Japan FTA progressed towards consensus, but there are concerns about its impact compared to existing EU trade deals with Japan.

Question

Neale Hanvey asked about the progress of discussions and questioned whether the Government should review their approach given that many talks have stalled and the potential negative impacts on trade, jobs, livelihoods, and recovery from the covid crisis. He pointed out that Japan accounts for only 2% of UK exports compared to the EU's 20 times more significant share.

Answer from Graham Stuart, Minister for Asia and the Pacific

Graham Stuart dismissed the notion of a failure in trade policy, highlighting that continuity agreements have largely been rolled over and there are opportunities to go further with Japan, setting new standards through deals with other major economies. He noted the EU's lack of success in securing an FTA with the US and suggested that critics will see not a failure but a success.

Answered
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