Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 7(a) of the White Paper, The future relationship between the UK and the EU, Cm 9593, which rules will be included in the category of necessary to provide frictionless trade at the border.

As set out in the White Paper, we are proposing a UK-EU free trade area for goods, underpinned by an upfront commitment to a common rulebook on goods, including agri-food, and a Facilitated Customs Arrangement to avoid customs checks and controls at our borders.

In the case of manufactured goods, this encompasses all rules that could be checked at the border, as they set the requirements for placing manufactured goods on the market. For agricultural products, food and drink, this includes relevant Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) rules, but excludes those which relate to wider food policy or domestic production.