Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

CPTPP: Impact on UK Businesses

Thursday 18 May 2023 · 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 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department has assessed the potential impact of the CPTPP on UK businesses and found it offers new opportunities for British exporters.
  • The Department reported that bilateral trade with Brazil increased to 7.7 billion in the 12 months ending December 2022.
  • The Secretary of State noted that mutual recognition of higher education qualifications is typically addressed in separate agreements from free trade deals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Marco Longhi
Business & Trade
Context

The question follows an announcement about the CPTPP agreement, which is expected to offer new opportunities for UK businesses.

Question

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership on UK businesses?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

We have secured a deal that offers brilliant new opportunities for British businesses by getting an agreement in principle to the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership. Our exporters will have greater opportunities to sell their excellent products to some of the world's biggest markets in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, with the bloc set to account for 15% of global GDP once the UK joins.

Answered
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Q2 Marco Longhi
Business & Trade
Context

The question follows a previous Q&A on CPTPP, focusing now on the UK's trading relationship with Brazil.

Question

Will the Secretary of State update the House on what her Department is doing to build on that trading relationship with Brazil?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

Our bilateral trade with Brazil increased to £7.7 billion in the 12 months ending December 2022, and the signing of the UK-Brazil double taxation agreement in November represents a significant step in enhancing trade across all sectors.

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Q3 Dan Carden Lab Liverpool Walton
Business & Trade
Context

The question concerns the integration of mutual recognition agreements into trade deals with Latin America, particularly focusing on student and language exchanges.

Question

What assessment has the Secretary of State made of the merits of integrating mutual recognition of higher education qualifications into trade negotiations?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

We do look at mutual recognition for qualifications in trade deals, but most of the time they tend to be in separate agreements. Because of the nature of how free trade agreements are structured, we try to ensure that they are focused specifically on trade.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific benefits or integration methods

How: Separate Agreements

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Q4 Gareth Thomas Labour (Co-op) Harrow West
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The question challenges the benefits of joining CPTPP, particularly regarding its limited economic growth projection and provisions allowing foreign companies to bypass Parliament.

Question

Will the Secretary of State tell the House why, in the accession talks, she was not able to resist giving some overseas corporate giants the right to access secret courts that could override the will of the British people, bypass Parliament and cost British taxpayers significant sums of money?

Answer from Kemi Badenoch

I believe that the hon. Gentleman is referring to investor dispute settlement mechanisms. We have used them in this country for many years, and that has protected British companies. He is wrong about the CPTPP not bringing much economic growth to the country—it will bring billions.

Not addressed: specific reasons behind granting access to secret courts

How: Protected British Companies, Wrong About Economic Impact

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