Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Make UK report entitled No Weak links: Building Supply Chain Resilience, published on 7 March 2023, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of that report's findings that (a) one in three manufacturers are confident they will be able to meet the demand for goods and services in 2023-24 and (b) supply chain uncertainty is growing.

The Government is aware of the Make UK Report and its findings. Like other countries, the UK has been dealing with economic headwinds caused by a financial crisis, a pandemic and then an international energy crisis.

We recognise that there has been reported uncertainty in EU based suppliers supplying the UK. As the Prime minister has said, the Windsor Framework should be the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship with the EU as one of our key allies and trading partners. The Trade and Co-Operation agreement goes beyond traditional free trade agreements and provides a solid basis for our trading relationship. In addition, our 2025 UK Border Strategy sets out our vision to have the world's most effective border.

While we recognise the value to the UK of free trade, we recognise the value to resilience building of reshoring, where it supports supply chain diversification. The Rules of Origin in our free trade agreements, including our FTA with the EU, encourage the localisation of the supply chain, accelerating investment in through policies such as the Automotive Transformation Fund.