Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the World Trade Organisation; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) level of global tariff barriers on the effectiveness of the rules-based international trading system and (b) World Trade Organisation on the (i) enforcement of global trade rules and (ii) enhancement of free, non-discriminatory frameworks for trade between countries.

World Trade Organization (WTO) membership has resulted in substantial benefits to our, and the global, economy with WTO research showing Members having increased trade by around 171%, between 1980-2016. However, the WTO needs to evolve to address modern challenges. The UK is actively supporting WTO reform efforts, working with international partners towards a reform outcome at March's Ministerial Conference.

The impacts of trade barriers are felt by all countries however the multilateral trading system has shown resilience, with the WTO stating that 72% of global goods trade is conducted under WTO terms as of November 2025.