Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on future trade agreements between the UK and non-EU countries of the UK remaining within a WTO-defined customs union with the EU (a) after 29 March 2019, (b) during the transition period and (c) after the transition period ends.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the UK will be free to negotiate, sign, and ratify FTAs during the Implementation Period.

During the Backstop, if it were ever to come into effect, we would be free to operate our own independent trade policy, including by negotiating our own FTAs, and implementing the areas that don’t affect the functioning of the backstop - including services and investment.

As agreed in the Political Declaration, the UK’s future relationship with the EU must recognise the development of an independent UK trade policy. The government has been clear that we will not be in the Single Market or the Customs Union as part of this.