Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the Atomic Energy Community published on 19 October 2019 on the environment.

Our high regulatory standards are not dependent on EU membership.

The UK has an exceptional track record on environmental protection and this will not change after we leave the EU. Our landmark Environment Bill, introduced last week, marks a key step towards achieving a Green Brexit, and demonstrates how the UK is leading the world in setting legally binding domestic targets on environmental protection.

In the political declaration, the UK and EU have agreed that the future relationship must ensure open and fair competition, encompassing robust commitments to ensure a level playing field. These commitments should uphold the common high standards applicable in the Union and the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period in the areas of state aid, competition, social and employment standards, the environment, climate change and relevant tax matters in order to prevent distortions of trade and unfair competitive advantages.