World Trade Organization

Lord Redwood Excerpts

Monday 9th November 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My Lords, I totally agree with my noble friend. British businesses must be able to compete fairly, and our trade strategy calls for stronger action on subsidies that distort markets and create excess capacity. As major economies, we share the same responsibility as China to support the global trading system. Our bilateral discussions on WTO reform are focused on making the WTO more relevant, flexible and accessible. At senior official level between the UK and China, the WTO working group took place earlier this year in Beijing, covering a level playing field, development and reform issues. Together we have a common agenda to make sure that the WTO functions and works for everybody.

[Lord Redwood (Con)]

Will the noble Lord rule out imposing tariffs on new products and higher tariffs on them, other than anti-dumping tariffs, which are legal under WTO rules?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

The noble Lord knows that we have to reform the WTO. As it currently stands, the dispute settlement is not functioning. It has been more or less paralysed since 2019, when the US refused to appoint any judges to its panel. Until such time that we get the dispute settlement resolved, we have the MPIA, which is the system that the noble Lord, Lord Lamont, mentioned. We are still coming together to try to get some resolution to where there is excess subsidy or dumping of cheap goods in this country. We need to resolve this through the system that we currently have.