Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development on Safeguarding democracy, rights and the environment in international trade, which was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 April 2023.

Council of Europe Resolution 2496 (2023) asks Member States to use their international trade negotiations to achieve wider objectives on human rights, the environment, and democratic norms. The Ministry of Defence is supporting the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Business and Trade that lead on the UK’s international trade policy.