Oral Answers to Questions

Diana Johnson Excerpts

Thursday 19th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Sir Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op)]

What assessment she has made of the potential effect on UK trade policy of the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election.

[Dame Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

What assessment she has made of the potential effect on UK trade policy of the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election.

[Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) (Lab)]

What assessment she has made of the potential effect on UK trade policy of the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election.

--- Later in debate ---

[Elizabeth Truss]

We have already done trade deals with 52 countries and we are on course to do many more, and we are absolutely committed to the Good Friday agreement.

[Dame Diana Johnson [V]]

As one of the MPs for the Humber energy estuary, where we are doing pioneering work in areas such as carbon capture, it is heartwarming to hear American President-elect Biden talking about the global climate crisis and the action needed to address it, and seeing this as a way of generating the jobs of the future. Will the Secretary of State expand a little on what she thinks can be put into any trade deals in terms of this country’s green technology and making sure this creates the jobs needed on both this side of the Atlantic and the other?

[Elizabeth Truss]

In the new UK global tariff we have reduced the tariffs on 100 green goods, and we want to encourage more other countries to support that. Of course we are committed to working with the US, and next year we will have the presidency of the G7. That is a really good opportunity for us to pursue that agenda of tackling climate change, alongside our COP26 commitments, and of course we will be looking at putting these in all our trade deals.