Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department is offering to protect businesses from tariffs where it is not possible to source steel products domestically in the context of the Steel Trade Measures.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The measure has been designed to strike a balance between securing domestic steelmaking while maintaining secure supply for downstream users.
It is designed to only cover requirements that can be met in the UK. Where not feasible for technical reasons, quotas have been designed to allow for sufficient imports to be available to downstream users.
To ease short-term impacts, we are introducing a transitional arrangement under which the new measure would not apply to goods agreed under contract before 14 March 2026 and imported between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Further details are available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2026 to Question 3663 on Liquefied Natural Gas: Russia, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the general trade licences for refined oil and liquid natural gas on the level of (a) (i) targeted and (ii) temporary flexibility to safeguard UK energy supply and (b) global market stability.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 20 May 2026, the UK introduced new sanctions to further target Russian revenues and degrade its ability to wage its illegal war in Ukraine. Alongside these measures, general trade licences for refined oil and liquid natural gas (LNG) were issued to ensure a managed and phased implementation of complex restrictions. We will continue to assess the energy market and maintain communication with industry.
I committed to fortnightly review of these licences, which will expire on 1 January 2027. This review will consider the impact of the licences on UK energy supply and global markets.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of differential per capita funding levels between devolved and non-devolved regions on small and medium-sized enterprises considering business location decisions.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out a long-term plan to support growth across the UK. Delivering the Industrial Strategy, regulatory reform and other steps will help to ensure the UK remains competitive, delivers long-term sustainable growth and that its economic fundamentals remain strong.
To assist all Growth Hubs in long-term planning, we will establish indicative multi- year core funding budgets for 2026-29 and provide flexibility to accommodate local government reorganisation. This funding will form part of the Integrated Settlement in Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, per our commitment in the English Devolution White Paper.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2026 to Question 3663 on Liquefied Natural Gas: Russia, by what date he plans to (a) amend, (b) suspend and (c) revoke the licences.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As he will see from the statutory instrument, the general trade licence for the maritime transportation of liquefied natural gas, under contracts with a duration of one year or less, will expire on 1 January 2027, although it can be varied, revoked or suspended at any time at the discretion of the Secretary of State. We are keeping it under fortnightly review.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, how many meetings with businesses his department had during the drafting of the consultation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with business, trade unions and representative organisations on the zero hours measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025, informing the development of the consultation.
We have held over 17 meetings with businesses on these measures and over 11 meetings with trade unions, alongside wider engagement on Make Work Pay, and continue to meet regularly with business representative organisations and trade unions.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues about the potential merits of a Commonwealth first approach to a) trade and b) economic growth.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s Trade Strategy sets out the Government’s approach to maximising trade opportunities in support of growth and economic security.
The UK already has formal trade arrangements with the vast majority of Commonwealth members. This includes through FTAs such as Australia, New Zealand and India, membership of the CPTPP, Economic Partnership Agreements and the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme.
The UK supplements this through direct funding, including on developing a Commonwealth Standards Network, facilitating investment for climate positive businesses and supporting the integration and participation of Small States and Developing Countries in the global trading system.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of a 'Commonwealth first' approach to trade; and what steps he is taking to develop such an approach.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s Trade Strategy sets out the Government’s approach to maximising trade opportunities in support of growth and economic security.
The UK already has formal trade arrangements with the vast majority of Commonwealth members. This includes through FTAs such as Australia, New Zealand and India, membership of the CPTPP, Economic Partnership Agreements and the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme.
The UK supplements this through direct funding, including on developing a Commonwealth Standards Network, facilitating investment for climate positive businesses and supporting the integration and participation of Small States and Developing Countries in the global trading system.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in tariff-free import quotas and increase in safeguard tariffs from 1 July 2026 on the number of businesses reliant on imported specialist steel products relocating production overseas; and whether his Department has modelled the potential impact on UK manufacturing capacity and exports.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has held extensive consultations with industry to inform development of the new steel trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025, and will continue to engage with companies across the supply chain. The measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply so the UK can meet its defence and critical national infrastructure needs. We will continue to monitor the impact of the measure and review it after 12 months to ensure the balance is right between producers and downstream users.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of revised steel safeguard measures due to take effect on 1 July 2026 on defence procurement programmes, including the AUKUS submarine programme; and whether he has raised concerns with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the availability and cost of specialist steel products required for defence manufacturing.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The new steel trade measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply so the UK can meet its defence and critical national infrastructure needs. I have engaged closely with my counterparts in other departments, including in the Ministry of Defence, in designing the measure.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what process is available to businesses that require steel grades not available from suppliers on the approved UK domestic supplier list under the UK Steel and Trade Measures.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The measure is designed to only cover steel requirements that can be made in the UK. In some instances, this is not feasible for technical reasons, for example where single product codes contain different sizes of steel products.
Quotas aim to allow sufficient imports to ensure continued availability of these goods to UK downstream users.
We will monitor implementation of the measure and review after twelve months to ensure it remains effective, and the balance is right for both producers and downstream users.