Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has plans to introduce legislative proposals for a free trade agreement between the UK and (a) the EU and (b) countries outside the EU; and if he will make a statement.

As we move into the second phase of negotiations we are confident of agreeing a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the EU that is of greater scope than any such existing agreement. The Government will introduce further legislation where it is needed to implement the terms of the future relationship into UK law.

Leaving the EU also offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate our own trade agreements and to be a positive and powerful force for free trade. However, we would not bring into effect any new arrangements with third countries which were not consistent with the terms of our agreement with the EU.

We have been considering what we will need to put in place to ensure that the process of negotiating and implementing new trade deals is transparent, efficient and effective. We want to make provision for a legislative framework that will enable future trade agreements with partner countries to move quickly from signing to implementation and then to ratification, whilst respecting due process in Parliament.