Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she had with her Singaporean counterpart on the potential negotiation of an equivalent to the EU-Singapore Partnership and Cooperation Agreement; and for what reason her Department has not sought such agreement to accompany the UK’s free trade agreement with Singapore.

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.