Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chris Bryant and Tom Tugendhat

Thursday 12th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Trade (Chris Bryant)]

I thank my hon. Friend for standing up for the business in her constituency, and she is absolutely right. The Trade Remedies Authority is investigating, as she knows, and I urge industry to participate in that, although I cannot comment on the precise details of the investigation because it might eventually come to my desk. Importantly, we need to make sure that dumping is not acceptable, because it makes it impossible for British businesses to prosper. We will do everything in our power to make sure that we use the remedies available to us to protect British businesses.

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

T7. Would the Secretary of State care to join me for a pint of Larkins in Kent, where we can discuss the effect of his business rate relief on small businesses? The high streets in Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Borough Green are doing as well as they can, but they are struggling, and one of the reasons why is the hit on hospitality industries. It has already cost The Man of Kent in East Peckham, but perhaps we could meet at another pub and the Secretary of State could hear about the impact from the publican themselves?