Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many specialist trade negotiators are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

The Department for International Trade already has a strong and capable trade policy team, which has more than doubled in size since 23 June and is continuing to grow. Over the coming months, we will be developing the Trade Policy 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.