Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take through the implementation of Project Defend to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports from authoritarian states and to increase national resilience.

Project DEFEND is working to help Britain become more resilient and ensure that more diverse supply chains are put in place to allow the continued flow of essential items and avoid shortages in future.

We are analysing critical supply chains and identifying countries with a high level of supply chain influence, in order that we can help strengthen Britain’s supply chain resilience. Our approach continues to underline our international leadership in promoting free trade, and our belief in the benefits that free trade brings.