Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of trade agreements the UK is a party to with developing countries in supporting those countries to (a) reduce poverty and (b) develop their economies.

Overall, the evidence is clear that openness to trade stimulates growth and helps to reduce poverty. The number of people living in extreme poverty globally has fallen by around one billion since 1990, and this could not have happened without the participation of developing countries in international trade.

That is why this department is working closely with the Department for International Development to ensure development and global prosperity are at the heart of UK trade and investment policy and to help shape the UK’s future trade arrangements with developing countries.

Our first priority is to deliver continuity in our trading arrangements with developing countries, to ensure that their, and our, producers and consumers face no disruption to trade. In the future, we will seek to deepen our trade relationships with developing countries.