Business and Trade Committee

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Thursday 27th November 2025 Westminster Hall

[Liam Byrne]

I was very grateful to receive the hon. Member’s email. He is absolutely right. The shutdown of branches all over our country is a really serious problem that creates real risks. One answer is to ensure that we lean in behind the Post Office plans to create banking hubs, not just in a couple of hundred high streets, which is the proposal of the main banks, but in thousands of locations across the country. The Post Office has in place an agreement with the banks until about 2030, but the future thereafter is not clear, so I hope that Ministers can take up this point in the Department for Business and Trade to ensure that we lean into the plans that the Post Office has developed to transform the availability of banking services on thousands of high streets up and down the country.

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

I warmly commend the Committee on producing its report. I take no offence at the demand that there be a separate economic security Minister, even though I think the Culture, Media and Sport Committee demanded, when I was the Minister responsible for tourism, that there be a separate tourism Minister as well—there seems to be a growing theme. I am very glad that the Committee agrees with the Government on the need for mandatory reporting of cyber-attacks. It seems to me that until we have a full understanding of the pattern of the problem that there is in the nation, we will not really be able to seize the opportunity. What shape does my right hon. Friend think the legislation that he proposes might take?

UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: Agricultural Products Report

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The UK officially signed its landmark comprehensive economic and trade agreement with India on 24 July 2025, marking the start of a strengthened trading relationship between the two economies. The UK-India trade deal will make trade quicker, cheaper and easier for UK businesses, increasing UK GDP by £4.8 billion and ultimately boosting bilaterial trade with India by £25.5 billion every year in the long run. The deal enables UK businesses to expand into one of the fastest growing markets in the world, delivering the growth mission across the UK and showing the UK’s global commitment to free, fair and open trade.

In order to trigger the ratification of the UK-India trade deal through the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Government have a statutory duty to lay a report before Parliament under section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020. Today, I am proud to lay this report before the House.

The Secretary of State has sought advice from independent bodies including the Trade and Agriculture Commission, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, and has responded to this advice in the report. Their independent advice concurs with the Government’s assessment that the FTA does not affect the UK’s ability to maintain its statutory protections in relation to human, animal or plant life or health, animal welfare or the environment. The Government will endeavour to bring this landmark agreement into force as soon as possible, while providing for full parliamentary scrutiny.

[HCWS1094]

CPTPP

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Monday 24th November 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

On 20 and 21 November, I attended the ninth meeting of the Commission of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in Melbourne, Australia, where a number of issues were considered by CPTPP Ministers.

Please see the joint ministerial statement from CPTPP parties at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cptpp-joint-ministerial-statement-in-melbourne-21-november-2025 which outlines key outcomes including: Costa Rica accession working group, CPTPP future accessions, the launch of CPTPP-EU and CPTPP-ASEAN dialogues and the CPTPP general review.

As the trade strategy published earlier this year outlines, CPTPP is designed as a living agreement, meaning it is designed to adapt to developments in the wider global economy. It does that through regular reviews of its rules to ensure they are up to date—the CPTPP general review—and through bringing in new economies via the accessions process. More generally, CPTPP provides a platform for a diverse group of major economies to come together and discuss how to deepen and extend the reach of high-standards trade.

Costa Rica Accession Working Group

At the CPTPP Commission meeting in November 2024, CPTPP Ministers, including the UK, formally decided to begin an accession process with Costa Rica, establishing an accession working group.

As part of this, the Government launched a public engagement period that ran from 29 November 2024 until 24 January 2025 to understand business, civil society and public views and insights regarding Costa Rica’s potential membership. This is supporting the Government’s approach to negotiations.

Ministers agreed that Costa Rica’s accession negotiations are near conclusion, and the accession working group will continue discussions expeditiously and report back this December, aiming to conclude the accession process in a timely manner.

Costa Rica’s accession can bring further wins for UK businesses and exporters through further liberalisation of international markets, while also strengthening geo-political ties with key partners.

Future Accessions

The more that CPTPP expands, the greater the economic and strategic benefits to the UK. Expansion of CPTPP brings new economies into the orbit of high standards trade and enhances the opportunities available for British businesses.

To date, nine economies have applied to join CPTPP, following the UK: Costa Rica, China, Ecuador, Indonesia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uruguay and, most recently, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.

CPTPP parties have identified four aspirants that are in line with the Auckland principles—namely, Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Parties have decided to commence an accession process with Uruguay, and will commence with the others in 2026, if appropriate. This will not prevent the consideration and discussion of other accession requests.

To maintain the pace of CPTPP work, in addition to meeting this December, parties intend to meet again in the first half of 2026, with a view to taking further decisions as appropriate.

The expansion of CPTPP remains a priority for the UK, as outlined in the trade strategy, and we look forward beginning the accession process with Uruguay, expanding the reach of high-standards, rules-based trade.

EU and ASEAN dialogues

Earlier this year, CPTPP parties decided to work towards dialogues in 2025 with the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. These dialogues directly deliver on the trade strategy commitment to further strengthen the crucial relationship between major trade blocs, as well as providing a strategic platform to support an open, rules-based international trade system.

On 20 November, the inaugural dialogues took place in Melbourne, with European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič attending in person alongside CPTPP Ministers for the EU-CPTPP dialogue. Statements outlining outcomes have been published on gov.uk.

Discussions were positive, constructive and forward looking. All participants reiterated commitments to the rules-based international system and the importance of ongoing co-operation.

The dialogues also provided an opportunity for participants to explore tangible areas for potential future joint working, including in UK priority areas of digital trade, supply chain resilience, and World Trade Organisation reform. The UK strongly supports the continuation of these collaborations at political and technical levels, delivering on the ambitions discussed in these inaugural dialogues.

CPTPP general review

The UK considers that CPTPP is already a well-functioning, high-standards agreement. None the less, we see this first CPTPP general review as a good opportunity to keep the agreement up to date in certain key areas.

As a result, the UK and CPTPP parties agreed a package of outcomes and next steps from this CPTPP general review, designed to ensure that the agreement delivers for business.

The parties will now commence negotiations from early 2026 on upgrading and enhancing the agreement in the key areas that have been identified, including on some of the UK’s industrial strategy priorities: electronic commerce and trade in services, customs administration and trade facilitation, competitiveness and business facilitation, and trade and women’s economic empowerment.

To further enhance the implementations and operations of the agreement’s high-standards provisions, we will finalise development of further initiatives identified in the general review report, including investment, state-owned enterprises, innovation, gender mainstreaming, economic coercion and market-distorting practices.

The outcomes of the Commission meeting pave the way for increased opportunities for UK businesses, supporting economic growth.

CPTPP is one of the largest free trade areas in the world, and a platform for the UK to collaborate with a diverse group of major economies to extend the reach of high-standards trade. The UK officially acceded to CPTPP almost a year ago, in December 2024, and I welcome the progress we have made with other CPTPP countries during the UK’s first year as a party.

I look forward to keeping the House updated on future CPTPP developments.

[HCWS1084]

Draft Trade Act 2021 (Power to Implement International Trade Agreements) (Extension to Expiry) Regulations 2025

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Tuesday 4th November 2025 General Committees

[The Chair]

Minister, would you be good enough to move the motion?

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the draft Trade Act 2021 (Power to Implement International Trade Agreements) (Extension to Expiry) Regulations 2025.

I have never been so kindly called by the Chair in Committee, Mr Stringer, so thank you very much. It is a genuine delight to sit under your chairmanship.

The draft regulations will authorise the enactment of sections 2(10)(b) and 2(11) of the Trade Act 2021 and extend the power under section 2(1) for a further period of five years. The proposed extension is a vital measure to ensure that the UK can remain flexible and proactive in managing its trade relations with important international partners. By extending the power, the Government will be able to pursue their ambitious trade agenda with minimal interruption.

To provide the Committee with a little more background, the Act was introduced by Liz Truss, but that does not mean it is all wrong. When it received Royal Assent back in 2021 under the previous Administration, the legislation granted the UK Government the authority to implement, through domestic law, trade agreements with countries that previously had such arrangements with the EU before Brexit. That is specified in section 2 of the Act. In practice, under the power in section 2(1), the Act enabled Ministers from the UK Government, as well as those from the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to make regulations via secondary legislation, specifically to address non-tariff elements of such agreements.

Rightful concerns about the scope of the power were expressed in Parliament at the time, including by the Labour party, resulting in the previous Government having to introduce several safeguards, including a sunset clause meaning that the power in section 2(1) will lapse at 11 pm on 31 December 2025 unless extended for up to five years by affirmative statutory instrument, which is what this Committee is about. We believe that such an extension is now necessary for our trade programme.

Any agreement that may have aspects implemented by that provision and that falls within the scope of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 will still be subject to the usual pre-ratification scrutiny, alongside the Government’s additional commitments to parliamentary transparency and oversight. All the original safeguards that we fought for at the time of the 2021 Act’s passage will remain in place. The draft regulations will have no effect on them.

We will continue to ensure that the power cannot be used to lower UK standards in areas such as the protection of human, animal or plant life, animal welfare, environmental protection, employment and labour rights, data protection, and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults online. Regulations made under section 2(1) of the 2021 Act that affect healthcare services must also uphold the principle of a publicly funded healthcare system. I cannot see a single Member on the Government side who was in the House when the 2021 legislation went through, so I realise I might be telling people ancient history.

Since coming into office, the Labour Government have made considerable progress in negotiating agreements that may require the continued use of section 2(1) beyond its expiry. It is crucial that we retain the ability to implement the outcomes of such negotiations. That is vital not only for businesses operating under new terms, but for maintaining the UK’s reputation as a dependable trading partner.

In practice, the extension could facilitate the implementation of forthcoming agreements with major partners, such as Switzerland, worth some £45 billion in trade, and Türkiye, worth some £28 billion. The agreements, once operational, are expected to deliver substantial economic benefits, open new markets, create jobs and stimulate growth across the UK. Without the power under section 2(1), delivering on our negotiated successes would be significantly more challenging. I am sure no Members of the House want to make that the case.

It is worth noting that the power under section 2(1) has already been used to implement agreements domestically, enabling the passage of statutory instruments on matters ranging from chemicals to roaming charges. The powers may also be needed for the ongoing management of existing arrangements, an example of which is to facilitate changes to the wholesale rates set out in an annexe to the European economic area and European Free Trade Association free trade agreement with the UK.

What I am trying to demonstrate to colleagues, I hope successfully, is the range of circumstances in which the power may be required. Extending section 2(1), therefore, is the most sensible course of action. A five-year extension is necessary to provide comprehensive coverage and to address any unforeseen issues that may arise during the ongoing administration of our trade agreements. Given the reasons that I have outlined and the assurances that I have made, I trust that the Committee will support the measure.

--- Later in debate ---

[Chris Bryant]

The shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs, argued for the benefits of Brexit—well, I have searched very high and I have searched very, very low for those. The previous Government even had a Minister for the benefits of Brexit, although he lost his seat, of course, at the last general election. I was a remainer and I remain a remainer, and we know that there has been significant damage to our ability to prosper because of what Brexit did to us. When I was at the World Trade Organisation last week, it was striking how many countries pointed to the number of UK businesses that are no longer trading in Europe because of the difficulties relating to Brexit.

I will say two things. First, we are where we are and we intend to exploit the ability that we have by virtue of not being in the European Union to its utmost, so as to secure trade deals wherever we can in the rest of the world. It may be that in some instances we are able to lead the way, such as on the free trade agreement that we have agreed with India, which is a significant success. That will point the way for the EU itself, in some cases, to be able to follow in our wake. It also gives us a seat at the WTO for the first time, which means that we can lead some of the conversations on reform of the WTO at the ministerial conference next March in Cameroon.

We will exploit the opportunity, but secondly, we must also ensure that, wherever possible, we secure the frictionless trade that was promised us by the shadow Minister and his ilk. We will try to secure that with the European Union because, frankly, any business in the UK that manages to find an export opportunity is more likely to be more resilient, succeed and grow into the future, which is precisely what we want for British businesses.

The hon. Member for Richmond Park, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, sounded very grumpy. I always think, when a Liberal Democrat stands up, that they will be full of cheer and joy, and then they are always grumpy. I sympathise with some of the arguments that she makes about scrutiny, and I want to make sure, as Trade Minister, that we can provide whatever scrutiny is possible without so limiting our freedom of action to secure a deal with another country. It is a very careful balancing act and we need to get it right.

I was the Minister in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office who took forward the clauses in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010—CRaG. I stand by them. We will provide as many opportunities as we possibly can in relation to all the trade deals that we are going through at the moment for people to scrutinise, question and, if necessary, tell Ministers off. I will now give way for what will probably be another grumpy Liberal Democrat intervention.

[Sarah Olney]

I will ask this question in the brightest way I possibly can. The Minister referenced CRaG, which was passed in 2010. Does he still think that that is a sufficient level of scrutiny, given that we are now outside the EU and in a different trading environment to the one that we were in when those provisions were made?

[Chris Bryant]

We would obviously always want to keep that under review. As part of the CRaG process everything gets notified to the several Committees that might have an interest. When I was on the Foreign Affairs Committee, it struck me that it was always at that moment that all the members would put their heads on the table—it was like the moment from “Absolutely Fabulous” when the accountant comes along.

There is a very strong argument that the whole of the House should take these trade issues far more seriously than we have in the past—though that is not me committing to changes in legislation, in case that is what the hon. Lady thought I was doing. She has started smiling again; it turns out I can put a smile on a Liberal Democrat face. However, I take the issue of how we consult extremely seriously. I know she is a trade envoy, and I still need to have a conversation with her about that.

Broadly speaking, everybody has said that they agree with the motion, so I should probably shut up.

Question put and agreed to.

Switzerland Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Round 8

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Tuesday 28th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The eighth round of negotiations on an enhanced free trade agreement with Switzerland took place in Switzerland between 20 and 24 October 2025.

Economic growth is our first mission in Government and trade agreements have an important role to play in achieving this. An enhanced trade agreement with Switzerland could support British businesses, back British jobs, and put more money in people’s pockets.

Services will be at the heart of a new agreement, reflecting that there is around £28 billion in services trade between our two countries in everything from finance and consultancy to legal and transport. The trading relationship supported 130,000 services jobs across the UK in 2020.

Switzerland is the UK’s 10th biggest trading partner and the UK-Swiss trade relationship was worth more than £45.1 billion in the four quarters ending Q1 2025. Services exports accounted for more than £18.4 billion of the trading relationship, making Switzerland the UK’s sixth largest services export partner.

An enhanced FTA with Switzerland aims to deliver long-term certainty for UK services firms, by locking in access to the Swiss market, guaranteeing the free flow of data and cementing business travel arrangements.

The round saw positive progress in a number of areas:

Services and investment

Constructive discussions were held across services, following a series of productive intersessional talks held over the summer. The UK and Switzerland exchanged market access offers prior to the round. Discussions continue to focus on market access supporting UK services exports.

Digital

Constructive discussions continued on digital trade in round 8 with some good progress made across the chapter. With 75% of UK services trade with Switzerland delivered digitally in 2022, the UK is seeking commitments in the FTA that will guarantee the free flow of data between our two countries.

Intellectual property

During this round, the UK and Switzerland discussed intellectual property rights areas. Negotiations will continue with the aim of agreeing a comprehensive framework for the protection of intellectual property.

Goods

Discussions continue to focus on goods market access.

We are close to concluding negotiations on the goods chapter text, which will help streamline the process for UK exports to Switzerland and vice versa.

In addition, good progress was made on the technical barriers to trade chapter, including provisions on technical regulations, international standards and conformity assessment.

Competition

Negotiations concluded on competition issues, promoting open and fair competition for UK firms at home and in Switzerland.

Next steps on FTA negotiations

Round 9 of negotiations on the FTA is set to take place in the UK in early 2026.

The Government are focused on securing outcomes in an enhanced FTA that boost economic growth for the UK and Ministers will continue to update Parliament on the progress of negotiations.

The Government will only ever sign a trade agreement which aligns with the UK’s national interests, upholding our high standards across a range of sectors, alongside protections for the national health service.

UK-Switzerland services mobility agreement

In addition to progress made in the FTA negotiations, the UK and Switzerland have also agreed a further extension to the existing UK-Switzerland services mobility agreement to cover the next four years, up to 31 December 2029.

The extension will ensure that businesses and services providers in the UK and in Switzerland have the certainty they need to continue to make use of this arrangement, while we are negotiating a permanent solution to this in the free trade agreement. This follows the announcement in November 2022 to extend the agreement.

The SMA allows UK professionals to travel freely to Switzerland and to work and deliver services visa-free for up to 90 days per year. The agreement also ensures UK professionals will not face economic interests tests or be required to secure work permits during these first 90 days of service supply.

The agreement also allows Swiss professionals to come to the UK and provide services under contract in a number of key skilled sectors through the UK’s service supplier visa for up to 12 months. This supports broader trade in vital industries of the UK economy, including finance, consultancy, legal services, the tech sector and the creative industries.

[HCWS997]

UK Export Finance: Contingencies Fund

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The Export Credits Guarantee Department—operating as UK Export Finance—is seeking a repayable cash advance from the Contingencies Fund, following budget changes to an IT project to improve its transaction record systems. This is essential to meet the operational needs of the Department and its work supporting exporters.

Parliamentary approval for additional capital of £2,728,000 will be sought in a supplementary estimate for the Export Credits Guarantee Department. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £2,728,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

The cash advance will be repaid following Royal Assent to the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bill.

[HCWS958]

Turkey Enhanced Free Trade Agreement: Round 2 Negotiations

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Monday 13th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The second round of negotiations on an enhanced free trade agreement with Turkey took place in London during the week commencing 15 September 2025.

Economic growth is our first mission in Government and FTAs have an important role to play in achieving this. A stronger trade relationship with Turkey will contribute to jobs and prosperity in the UK, with total trade between the UK and Turkey standing at around £28 billion in 2024.

Negotiations were productive, with positive progress being made in a number of areas:

Trade in services

Constructive discussions were held on a range of key technical areas, including digital trade, financial and professional business services, as well as investment. The UK continues to seek commitments that will support opening new opportunities for services trade, which is not covered by the existing UK-Turkey FTA.

Trade in goods

Turkey is a significant trading partner for the UK—our 16th largest trading partner in 2024. In that period, UK goods exports to Turkey were worth more than £6.1 billion. During the second round of negotiations both sides discussed priorities for building on this baseline, and potential areas of growth. Talks focused on text proposals, as well as discussion of goods trade data covering recent years.

Sustainability and collaboration

The round included further talks on environment, labour, and anti-corruption provisions, building on initial conversations held in Ankara during the first round of negotiations. Both sides continued to assess scope for areas of co-operation, including reaffirming relevant international commitments and building on identified shared priorities.

Additional areas

Positive talks were also held on dispute settlement, intellectual property, Government procurement, customs, and consumer protection; productive initial discussions on trade remedies and good regulatory practice also helped build a shared understanding of both countries’ initial positions.

The UK will only ever sign a trade agreement which aligns with the UK’s national interests, upholding our high standards across a range of sectors, including protections for the national health service.

The third round of negotiations is expected to take place in late autumn of 2025. Ministers will update Parliament on the progress of discussions with Turkey as they continue to progress.

[HCWS933]

UK-US Trade

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Monday 13th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The UK and US have met to continue talks on the UK-US economic prosperity deal in London, Washington DC and virtually during August and September 2025.

The UK has continued to engage across the range of issues outlined in the general terms for the UK-US economic prosperity deal agreed in May. This has included discussions on digital and technology, tariff and non-tariff barriers, as well as on the US tariffs levied on products subject to section 232 investigations.

During the state visit of the President of the United States, the UK and US announced the technology prosperity deal that builds on the EPD. The first ever UK-US tech agreement is focused on developing the fastest growing technologies like AI, quantum, and nuclear. The deal will bring new healthcare breakthroughs, clean home-grown energy, and more investment into local communities and businesses in Britain and the United States.

Last month, the United States confirmed that the UK will not face an increase in steel and aluminium tariffs to 50% and will remain the only country in the world to benefit from a preferential 25% rate on steel, aluminium and derivative exports to the US, thanks to the EPD. This provides the certainty that UK industry has long been calling for. We continue to work closely with our US counterparts to reduce tariffs further and secure the best possible outcomes for UK manufacturers.

Also as a result of the EPD, the UK has received preferential treatment for lumber products, with the lowest tariff rate of any country in the world at 10%. Other countries face tariffs of up to 50%.

Intensive discussions are continuing on other sectors under section 232 investigation, including pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, towards the significantly preferential outcome provided for under the general terms.

The US is the UK’s largest single country trading partner with a trading relationship worth some £315 billion last year. UK firms employ some 1.2 million US workers while 1.4 million people work here in the UK for American companies. We have £1.2 trillion invested in each other’s economies. The EPD will continue to deliver on saving thousands of jobs, protecting key British industries, and helping to drive economic growth.

[HCWS935]

UK-Greenland Partnership, Trade and Co-operation Agreement

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Monday 13th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The UK and Greenland agreed to resume negotiations on the UK-Greenland Partnership, Trade and Co-operation Agreement at the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen on Thursday 2 October.

This partnership provides a strong commitment to enhance our bilateral trade relationship with Greenland and develop a deeper relationship with all parts of the Kingdom of Denmark to deliver a more prosperous and secure Arctic.

Greenland has historically been an important exporter of seafood to the UK, exporting approximately £211 million of seafood to it between 2022 and 2024. The deal could also support the UK’s seafood processing industry, which employed nearly 16,000 people in 2024.

It will also lead to tariff savings on seafood and fish imports tariffs of up to 20% from Greenland for UK processors, supermarkets, catering businesses and restaurants, which could be passed on to consumers.

Once negotiated, this will be Greenland’s first bilateral free trade agreement. There is a strong case for resuming talks and concluding the deal to consolidate and deepen the UK’s economic and geostrategic relationship with Greenland, including working more closely on critical and rare earth minerals co-operation.

The Government will continue to update and engage with stakeholders while we look to conclude negotiations with Greenland.

[HCWS936]

Bus and Lorry Tyres

Chris Bryant Excerpts

Monday 13th October 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade (Chris Bryant)]

Following EU exit, the UK transitioned over 43 trade remedy measures. These measures were originally applied on behalf of all 28 member states, including the UK, by the European Commission. Two of these 43 measures were anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of certain bus and lorry tyres of Chinese-origin.

The UK committed to conduct transition reviews of all 43 measures to ascertain whether the measures are appropriate for the UK market, including whether they should be extended or terminated. As the UK’s independent trade remedies investigatory body, the Trade Remedies Authority is responsible for the conduct of transition reviews. The TRA makes evidence-based recommendations to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State carefully considers their conclusions, the evidentiary basis and relevant matters in the public interest before deciding whether to extend or terminate existing UK measures, such as those 43 the UK transitioned from the EU.

In 2022, the European Commission lost a legal challenge brought by Chinese industry, challenging the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures that the EU had in place on bus and lorry tyres of Chinese-origin. The methodology underpinning the EU’s measures on behalf of the 28 member states was found to be flawed. The European Commission reopened both investigations and in 2023 recalculated the duties, backdating the effect to remedy the issue. The new duties applied only on behalf of the 27 member states as the UK had already exited EU.

The UK was unable to take comparable action without a review of the measures. On 3 May 2023, the TRA initiated the transition reviews of our anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of bus and lorry tyres of Chinese-origin. Through the transition review, the TRA received compelling evidence supporting a recalculation of the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties inherited from the EU.

Following a consideration of the evidence provided to it by domestic and foreign interested parties, the TRA recommended to the Secretary of State that both measures be extended for a further five years. The TRA also recommended that certain duties be increased, whereas others should be decreased. Domestic legislation limited the TRA to being able only to recommend that these new duties be applied from the original date of expiry of both measures—23 October 2023 for the anti-dumping measure, and 13 November 2023 for the anti-subsidy measure.

While the Secretary of State accepted the basis of the TRA’s recommendation to extend both measures and amend the duties, the Secretary of State believed that the amended duties should be applied from different dates. The Secretary of State believed that it is in the public interest and the reasoning was as follows:

For those duties the TRA recommended be increased, the Secretary of State decided to apply these prospectively from the day after the public notice was published—1 August 2025. This is because applying the increased duties prospectively is in accordance with World Trade Organisation rules on prospectivity and represented a fair outcome for the affected UK importers. The Secretary of State also does not anticipate the TRA finding itself in this situation again—the issue was driven by the original EU duties being found to be flawed. The TRA has almost completed all transition reviews of those 43 measures the UK originally inherited.

For those duties the TRA recommended be decreased, the Secretary of State decided to apply these from 1 January 2021. This was to remedy the fact that the UK inherited duties from the EU that were subject to a successful legal challenge by Chinese industry in 2022. This again represented a fair outcome for UK importers.

The Government published a public notice on 31 July 2025 to give effect to the Secretary of State’s decision from 1 August 2025.

[HCWS934]