Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

G7 Summit: Trade Priorities

Thursday 10 June 2021 · 3 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Prime Minister stated that climate is his top priority, yet the Department for International Trade continues to fund billions for overseas fossil-fuel projects.
  • The UK Government funded research into the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has produced 98% of the 49 million covid vaccines delivered globally.
  • The UK supports the abolition of export restrictions to facilitate the flow of goods around the world.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Anna McMorrin Lab Cardiff North
Climate Business & Trade
Context

The Department for International Trade is involved with billions of pounds in funding for overseas fossil-fuel projects, despite climate being the Prime Minister's top priority at the G7.

Question

Penblwydd hapus, Mr Speaker. Ahead of the G7, the Prime Minister has said that climate is his top priority, yet the Department for International Trade is still funnelling billions—including £3.5 billion from UK Export Finance—into overseas fossil-fuel projects and dirty projects are still being considered, despite the promise to end them. The Prime Minister himself flies into Cornwall on a private jet to talk climate. How can this Government expect to be taken seriously as a climate leader on the biggest threat facing us when they clearly do not take the issue seriously themselves?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

I refute what the hon. Lady just said. We have changed the rules that govern UK Export Finance to make sure that it is focused solely on financing clean-energy projects, and that is alongside other measures that support our zero-carbon objectives.

Answered
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Q2 Stephen Morgan Lab Portsmouth South
NHS
Context

The US, other world leaders and the World Trade Organisation support an intellectual property waiver on vaccines to help with the pandemic in poor countries. However, the UK remains against this plan.

Question

Labour has backed an intellectual property waiver on vaccines to help with the pandemic in the poorest countries. The US agrees, as do the majority of world leaders, but the UK remains steadfastly against the plan. With the G7 giving us the opportunity for breakthrough this weekend, will the Secretary of State tell us why she will not support this life-saving initiative?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

I am very proud that the UK Government funded research into the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is now producing 98% of the 49 million covid vaccines delivered right around the world. We have played a leading role in that. I am interested in practical measures that have real effect, such as voluntary licensing agreements.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific reasons for not supporting the IP waiver are not provided

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Q3 Gareth Thomas Labour (Co-op) Harrow West
Business & Trade
Context

Britain refused to support a temporary waiver of patents on covid vaccines at the World Trade Organisation, despite other countries such as America, India and South Africa backing it.

Question

With all due respect to the Secretary of State, boosting the overall global supply of vaccines is key to get global trade going, secure British jobs and help our allies in the Commonwealth and the developing world. In these exceptional times, why did Britain, as my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth South (Stephen Morgan) said, refuse to support at the World Trade Organisation yesterday—presumably on the Secretary of State's instruction—allies of ours such as America, India and South Africa, and many other countries, and to back a temporary waiver of patents on covid vaccines?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

As I have said, the UK is always willing to listen to pragmatic suggestions about how we make the regime work better. For example, we have supported the abolition of export restrictions—many other countries have not—so that we can see goods flow around the world.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific reasons for opposing the IP waiver are not given

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