Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 29 March 2017 (HL Deb, col 611), what is their definition of "frictionless trade".

We are seeking a bold and ambitious economic partnership that is of greater scope and ambition than any such existing agreement.

We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as being able to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. That means, for goods, we want a customs trading relationship and agreement on non-tariff barriers that enables as frictionless trade as possible between the UK and the EU.

With regards to services trade, we will be seeking the broadest ever agreement that limits the number of barriers that could prevent UK firms from setting up in the EU and vice versa and avoids discrimination of each other's service providers. We also want to agree an appropriate labour mobility framework that enables UK and EU businesses and self-employed professionals to travel in order to provide services to clients in person.

We want to ensure that UK companies have the maximum possible freedom to trade with and operate within European markets – and to let European businesses do the same in the UK.