Brexit: World Trade Organization

Debate between Lord Richard and Baroness Sugg

Wednesday 11th October 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Sugg]

Absolutely: within the WTO we have committed additional resources to our UK mission to strengthen our ability to carry out work there and we are currently expanding within the Department for International Trade. We have gone up to nearly 3,500 members of staff and employed Crawford Falconer, who is an internationally recognised trade expert. We are fairly confident that we have enough capacity to make all these deals.

[Lord Richard (Lab)]

My Lords, the noble Baroness said on a number of occasions that she is confident that the Government will be able to replicate our existing trading position. Can she enlighten us as to how on earth the Government propose to do that?