Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure there is adequate (a) public scrutiny and (b) accountability of (i) trade negotiations and (ii) any future trade agreement between the UK and India.

The Government has put in place enhanced scrutiny arrangements for free trade agreements. This included publishing our negotiating strategy, including objectives, in January 2022.

Since negotiations commenced, we have published twelve negotiation updates. In addition the Chief Negotiator has briefed the relevant select committees on a number of occasions. Once the deal is concluded it will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act, prior to ratification. The Government will also commission and publish advice from the independent Trade and Agriculture Commission. Finally, any legislation needed to implement the agreement will be scrutinised and passed by Parliament in the usual ways.