Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the economic merits of potential trade agreements between the UK and (a) the US, (b) Australia and (c) New Zealand compared to the EU’s proposed free trade agreements with those countries.

The Government has committed to publishing scoping assessments providing an economic analysis of proposed trade agreements prior to negotiations. These will present the results of economic modelling, giving an indication of the potential impacts on the UK and partner country’s economy.

We have not undertaken any assessments of the EU’s proposed agreements with those countries as negotiations are still ongoing and it would therefore be premature to do so at this stage. However, the Government believes that the UK’s departure from the European Union offers us an opportunity to negotiate and design our own trade arrangements, and that we will be able to pursue these agreements in line with UK interests.