Oral Answers to Questions

Kerry McCarthy Excerpts

Thursday 15th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Dr Fox]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question, and he is right to highlight the potential of free trade to reduce the cost of living in this country. Free trade ensures that more people can access more goods at better value, making their incomes go further, whereas protectionism tends to hurt the poorest the most.

[Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)]

It has been two years since the then Environment Secretary announced with great fanfare plans to sell pigs’ trotters to China. As my written question this week revealed, we are still no closer to signing the pigs’ trotters protocol. If it takes this long to reach an agreement to sell pigs’ trotters, what does that say about our ability to make all the other trade deals we need in the wake of Brexit?

[Dr Fox]

I am very intent that our agricultural exports continue apace. I shall continue to push pigs’ trotters as fast as they can possibly go.