Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policy of the role of the US Congress in scrutinising international trade agreements.

In formulating our approach to scrutiny of international trade agreements we have considered the approach of international comparators, including the United States and countries with similar Westminster-style democracies such as New Zealand and Canada, and drawn on international best practice.

The role that the US Congress plays in scrutinising international trade agreements is a product of the constitutional make-up of the United States. Similarly, the United Kingdom’s own scrutiny regime must reflect our own unique and specific constitutional system.

The UK Parliament will be able to conduct scrutiny at every stage of the process in a way that is appropriate to the UK constitutional context. The Government’s approach strikes the right balance between allowing Parliament to effectively scrutinise our trade policy, whilst maintaining the ability of the Government to negotiate flexibly in the best interests of the UK.