Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what provisions there are in the UK’s Free Trade Agreement with Singapore allowing for that agreement to be suspended in whole or in part in response to serious violations by either party of the terms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.

The United Kingdom has a strong history of promoting our values globally. The UK will continue to show global leadership in encouraging all states to uphold international human rights obligations. We are clear that trade does not have to come at the expense of our values. We have a longstanding, deep, relationship with Singapore and we are able to have open discussions on a range of issues. The UK and Singapore have agreed to sign a UK-Singapore Political Joint Statement to reflect our close partnership. Once the text has been signed it will be published on gov.uk.