Oral Answers to Questions

Philip Hollobone Excerpts

Thursday 10th June 2021 Commons Chamber

[Greg Hands]

I am not sure that the hon. Gentleman has been listening carefully enough to what I have been saying to him about the SNP and trade deals. It is not just Westminster trade deals that he and his colleagues have rejected; they have even rejected the trade deals negotiated previously by the European Union. He has pledged to rejoin the EU, in which case Scotland would become immediately subject to those trade deals. He also wishes to rejoin the common fisheries policy, which would be completely against the interest of fishers right across Scotland.

The SNP has never supported any trade deal. It has been against the Canada and South Africa deals, and it has not supported the Japan or Singapore deals. It is simply anti-business, anti-trade and against the interests of the Scotch whisky industry and of Scottish fishers.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

What progress she has made on negotiating free trade agreements with (a) the US, (b) Canada and (c) New Zealand.

[The Secretary of State for International Trade (Elizabeth Truss)]

We are making significant progress with our free trade agreement negotiations. We have just launched a consultation on the new, improved trade agreement with Canada, we are in the final stages of our FTA with New Zealand, and we are in the midst of resolving the Airbus-Boeing dispute with the US.

[Mr Hollobone]

Does my right hon. Friend think it is right that the EU should have greater access to the UK market than our friends in New Zealand?

[Elizabeth Truss]

Next week we have the New Zealand Trade Minister, Damien O’Connor, coming to the UK, and we are working on a gold-standard agreement that will give us more access to Pacific markets at the same time as further deepening our economic relationship with a long-standing and trusted partner.