Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Trade Deals: Human Rights Provisions

Thursday 19 November 2020 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK Government promotes human rights globally through economic relationships.
  • Government discusses human rights openly with trade partners.
  • UK follows rigorous consolidated criteria for arms control.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Cat Smith Lab Lancaster and Wyre
Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from ongoing discussions on including human rights provisions in future trade deals with UK partners.

Question

What recent discussions have been had with UK trade partners on including provisions on human rights in future trade deals?

Answer from Greg Hands

This Government have a strong history of promoting our values globally, including human rights. While our approach to agreements will vary between partners, our strong economic relationships allow us to have open discussions on a range of issues, including on human rights. We will not compromise our high standards in trade agreements.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details of recent discussions and commitments regarding human rights provisions were not provided.

How: Vague Promotion Of Values, Generic Commitment To High Standards Without Specifics

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Q2 Cat Smith Lab Lancaster and Wyre
Brexit Foreign Affairs
Context

The UN reported in September that Saudi airstrikes in Yemen had led to a consistent pattern of harms to civilians, contradicting the UK Government's previous statement in July. This discrepancy prompts questions about how the Government evaluates evidence.

Question

How has the Government looked at the same evidence as the UN and arrived at such vastly different conclusions regarding arms exports to Saudi Arabia?

Answer from Greg Hands

May I remind the hon. Lady, as the Secretary of State said earlier in response to a question from the right hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry), that the UK has one of the most rigorous arms control regimes in the world? We follow the consolidated criteria at all times. On trade agreements, I ask her to judge us on our deeds and not always on our words. In terms of the trade agreements that we have rolled over, there has been no diminution of human rights clauses in any of those agreements.

Not addressed: The specific question about evaluating evidence for arms exports was not directly addressed; instead, a general statement on rigorous control regimes and human rights clauses was provided.

How: Reminding The Questioner, Shift To Trade Agreements

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