Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards agreeing a new trade agreement with Kiribati.

Our first priority is to deliver continuity in our trading arrangements on leaving the EU. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries once we leave the EU. This will provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme by granting duty-free, quota-free access to 48 Least Developed Countries, including Kiribati.

In addition, the existing EU-Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), currently in effect between the EU, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, provides for other Pacific countries to apply to accede to it, including Kiribati. The new UK-Pacific States EPA, signed on 14 March between the UK, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, carries over this accession commitment.