Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade negotiators he has hired since 23 June 2016; and what the aggregate cost is of their contracts.

The Department for International Trade already has a strong and capable trade policy team which has more than doubled in size since 23 June. Over the coming months we will be developing that team to build the world class negotiating strengths needed to deliver the best outcomes for the UK. They will have the depth and breadth of expertise to handle the full range of sectoral and cross-cutting issues that arise in trade agreements, supported by analysts and lawyers. We will continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and in time, will look to enhance our team by drawing on expertise from elsewhere.