Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reforming state aid rules when the UK leaves the EU.

The Government is aware that the EU negotiating mandate explicitly refers to state aid in the context of any future trade agreement between the EU and UK. This future relationship is subject to negotiation.

While the Government cannot speculate on outcomes at this stage, any future regime will be based on the principles of open markets and fair competition. As my Right Hon Friend the Prime Minister made clear in her speech in Florence “it would be a serious mistake to try to beat other countries’ industries by unfairly subsidising one’s own”.