Northern Ireland Protocol

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Jack Brereton

Tuesday 17th May 2022 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

I do not agree with the hon. Lady’s characterisation of my time as Trade Secretary, when we opened new opportunities for British farmers around the world. I have always believed that the food Britain produces is so excellent that it is well capable of competing with other offers around the world.

[Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that we should send a clear message to those in Brussels who would wish to see us backslide on Brexit or undermine and break up our precious Union that this will never be acceptable to this Government?

[Elizabeth Truss]

I have been clear that our priority is restoring the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement. While our preference is to secure a negotiated outcome with the European Union, we cannot delay in taking the action we need to take to restore that balance in the Good Friday agreement and protect our precious Union.

Sanctions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Jack Brereton

Monday 28th February 2022 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

The Foreign Office is currently full of lawyers working through precisely that point.

[Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)]

I very much welcome the UK’s robust global leadership against Putin’s Russia. The high dependency on Russian energy in parts of Europe has been used by Putin to threaten many of those European countries. What more can the British Government do to help support those countries to reduce that dependency?

[Elizabeth Truss]

I am working closely with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on helping those countries reduce their dependence. We are working with the G7 so that, over time, there will be less and less oil, gas and coal imported from Russia so that there will be less money to fund Putin’s war machine.

UK-US Trade Deal

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Jack Brereton

Monday 2nd March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

I can confirm that we stand by our online harms commitment, and nothing in the US trade deal will affect that.

[Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)]

I particularly thank the Secretary of State for mentioning the ceramics industry in Stoke-on-Trent. Does she agree that this has huge potential to give access to markets in the US for a number of ceramics firms, but also for a number of other industries right across Stoke-on-Trent, and to help to level up the opportunities for the people I represent in Stoke-on-Trent South?

[Elizabeth Truss]

I thank my hon. Friend. I enjoyed visiting his constituency and meeting some of the fantastic companies there, including Walker’s Nonsuch Toffee, for which I also want to secure a tariff reduction.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Jack Brereton

Thursday 23rd January 2020 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

I am pleased to tell the hon. Gentleman that there will be a ministerial forum this afternoon to talk about that issue. We will make sure that Northern Ireland is completely involved in our agenda, because we want our independent trade policy, our tariff policy and our trade remedies policy to follow the priorities across the United Kingdom.

[Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)]

I join my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Aaron Bell) in thanking the Secretary of State for visiting Stoke-on-Trent last week. Does she agree that for industries such as ceramics, it is essential that we have a robust regime of tariffs to make sure that we guard against countries who want to undermine the rules-based system?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Jack Brereton

Tuesday 17th April 2018 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

I point out to the hon. Lady that real-terms spending in the Home Office is going up. We are funding the Home Office, but the important thing is what we do with that money, and that is why the Home Secretary has outlined the serious violence strategy to deal with that issue.

[Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)]

5. What steps he is taking to invest in the infrastructure of small and medium-sized cities.