Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Thursday 12 June 2025 · 10 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial concerns were raised about the impact of US trade deals on the UK's bioethanol industry.
  • The Government plans to introduce further support through its small business strategy to assist entrepreneurs moving to the high street.
  • Proposed legislation aims to ensure e-commerce businesses meet high-quality UK trading standards and maintain a level playing field.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Graham Stuart Con Beverley and Holderness
Energy Business & Trade
Context

The UK government has announced a trade deal with the US that includes access to the entire UK bioethanol market. This decision is causing distress among companies in the nascent UK bioethanol industry.

Question

Yesterday, apprentices came here from Vivergo in my constituency. The hundreds of people directly employed there, and the thousands in the supply chain, wonder how this Government, on the verge of producing an industrial strategy, can want to abandon the nascent bioethanol industry in this country entirely. What will he do to stop that?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

I understand the prominence of the issue in the right hon. Member’s constituency. We already import a significant amount of ethanol from the US: 860,000 tonnes of bioethanol. We recognise the competitive pressures that the US trade deal will bring—it is obviously not yet in operation—and have met the companies affected and continue to negotiate with them. They are already very distressed and lose significant amounts of money, so what they really need are regulatory changes from the Department for Transport for the market as a whole. I can assure him that we are working on that.

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Q2 Chris Bloore Lab Redditch
Business & Trade
Context

Rusty’s Collectables is a new addition to Redditch high street, offering unique items such as Pokémon and Marvel collectibles.

Question

Owners Russell and Amee have successfully moved from online to the high street. Can the Minister explain how the Government will help more entrepreneurs like them to turn great ideas into high-street businesses?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas)

Through our small business strategy, we will set out very shortly further plans to support businesses to get on the high street. The increase in money in the British Business Bank, announced yesterday by the Chancellor, will also significantly increase access to finance for such businesses.

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Q3 Jessica Toale Lab Bournemouth West
Business Compliance
Context

Residents and local manufacturers are concerned about products sold on e-commerce sites like Temu, which may not meet UK quality and safety standards.

Question

What is the Department doing to ensure that products sold by online retailers continue to meet high-quality UK trading standards?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Justin Madders)

UK product safety law is clear: all products must be safe before they are placed on the market. We introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, which will allow the introduction of clear obligations for e-commerce businesses to ensure consumer safety and a level playing field. We intend to consult on product safety requirements for online marketplaces very shortly after Royal Assent.

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Q4 Olivia Bailey Lab Reading West and Mid Berkshire
Business & Trade
Context

The MP noted a visit to the high street in Pangbourne last year and met with Nino’s, a local business owner who raised concerns about regulatory burdens.

Question

Last year, the Secretary of State joined me on a visit to our vibrant high street in Pangbourne. I recently met the owner of one of those businesses, Nino’s, a fantastic trattoria and deli. One issue that Nino raised with me was the regulatory burden on his business. How will the Government’s small business strategy deal with that key challenge, and how will it support small businesses like Nino’s, so that they can continue to thrive?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

We had a wonderful visit about a year ago, and I hope the Pangbourne Cheese Shop is still going strong. Yes, the regulatory burden on small business is a huge area of attention for this Department; there is the business growth service, our action on late payment, and our incentivising of digitisation and e-invoicing.

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Q5 Andrew George Lib Dem St Ives
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP raised concerns about the ongoing issues faced by farmers and growers regarding supply chain practices despite the existence of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Question

Our farmers and growers can survive only if there is a functioning supply chain, but since the creation of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, they complain bitterly about continuing poor practice and the risk of de-listing. Does the Minister not agree that it is time to beef up this organisation, and to amalgamate it with the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator?

Answer from The Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets (Justin Madders)

We had a Westminster Hall debate last week in which a number of these issues were raised. The hon. Gentleman will know that we are undertaking our fourth review of the GCA. I encourage him and other hon. Members to contribute to it. We are considering the points made in that debate, and we will welcome any comments in the review.

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Q6 Liam Byrne Lab Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North
Energy Business & Trade
Context

The MP welcomed an investment in UK energy abundance but questioned the need for a plan to ensure competitive industrial energy prices.

Question

I very much welcome yesterday’s investment in UK energy abundance, but as our Committee pointed out on Friday, the success of the industrial strategy will depend on a plan to cut industrial energy costs now. When the industrial strategy is published, will the Secretary of State reassure us that there will be a plan to ensure that UK energy prices are internationally competitive?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

I thank my right hon. Friend and the Select Committee for all their work in this area. He knows my view from the evidence that I have given. The significant increase in industrial energy prices under the previous Government is a significant issue for our competitiveness—and yes, that is something that we seek to address.

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Q7 John Cooper Con Dumfries and Galloway
Business & Trade
Context

The MP highlighted a challenge faced by Alexander Dennis, a British bus manufacturer, due to competition from Chinese entities.

Question

When it comes to bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis and the jobs at risk there, there is not an elephant in the room—there is a Chinese dragon. The company is in competition not with commercial organisations from China, but with entities of the Chinese state. What representations will the Secretary of State make to the Prime Minister in an attempt to level a playing field that is currently about as flat as the Galloway hills?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

I firmly agree with the hon. Gentleman that a level playing field is not just an economic necessity, but a matter of economic security and production in western economies like our own. Of course, if a company has a specific case to make, it should make the representation to the Trade Remedies Authority directly—I have that power, but it would usually come from industry. If the company has a specific case to make, the hon. Gentleman should encourage it to make that representation.

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Q8 Marie Tidball Lab Penistone and Stocksbridge
Defence
Context

The MP highlighted the historical significance of Stocksbridge Speciality Steels in producing essential defence and aerospace steel.

Question

It was fantastic to hear the Government’s commitment yesterday to making the UK a defence industrial superpower. At its peak, Stocksbridge Speciality Steels, in my constituency, produced 15% of global defence and aerospace steel, which is essential to our national security. What work is the Secretary of State doing to secure Stocksbridge Speciality Steels so that this valuable steel asset can be used to maintain our national security?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

My hon. Friend knows that I believe the workers at that mill in her constituency are a national asset and that I want them to have a strong future as part of our overall steel strategy. We are closely monitoring the specific situation there, which colleagues will be aware of, and are determined to find the outcome that she and I would want to see.

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Q9 Martin Vickers Con Brigg and Immingham
Energy Business & Trade
Context

Greenergy, a company based in Immingham, has shut down some operations due to heavily subsidised hydro-treated vegetable oil from the US. This affects the local economy significantly.

Question

In part, Grenergy's shutdown is due to an influx of heavily subsidised hydro-treated vegetable oil from the US. Will the Secretary of State bear this in mind when he has trade negotiations with the US with a view to easing the situation?

Answer from Jonathan Reynolds

I shall of course take that up with the hon. Member. I have spent a fair bit of time in his constituency, as he knows, on one matter or another. On fair trade and level playing fields, colleagues can direct their industries to the Trade Remedies Authority if they have specific concerns, but, of course, we monitor those matters at a departmental level as well.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not specify how he will address easing the situation or what specific actions will be taken during negotiations with the US.

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Q10 Sonia Kumar Lab Dudley
Economy Business & Trade
Context

Listing on the London Stock Exchange has fallen by 40% since the global financial crisis, posing a significant barrier to growth due to declining liquidity and investor activity.

Question

Since the global financial crisis, listing on the London Stock Exchange has fallen by 40%, posing a significant barrier to growth as liquidity and investor activity decline. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to ensure that more British businesses are listed on the London Stock Exchange and that the UK remains a leading global financial sector?

Answer from Jonathan Reynolds

That is an area of concern to us all. We support and continue to implement some of the listing rules and prospective changes of the previous Government, but the bigger change from this Government is to liquidity, particularly around pensions reforms. None the less, this remains an issue of key competitiveness for the United Kingdom.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not provide specific steps being taken or new initiatives introduced by his government.

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