Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress she has made on securing a free trade agreement with Algeria.

In under two years, and as of 15^th December, we have agreed trade deals with 58 countries that accounted for £198 billion of bilateral trade in 2019. We have always been clear that we will not do a deal that is not in the British national interest, whatever the deadline.

Whilst we have had some robust discussions in that spirit, leading to a mutually beneficial agreement in most cases, this has not been the case for all countries. Further, it has not always been possible to engage with partners due to their elections and delays in forming their governments. As a result, we have announced that agreements with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Algeria – as well as, seeking to be open with my Hon. Friend, Montenegro – will not be in force on 1^st January 2021.

However, they are all valued partners on a range of economic and security issues and we remain willing and committed to concluding agreements with them as soon as possible.