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 effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the ability of UK-based (a) automotive and (b) aerospace companies to source parts from the EU 27 in a timely manner.

Both the UK and the EU share a strong commercial interest in preserving the integrated supply chains of the aerospace and automotive sectors, including those that support the Just in Time processes that ensure the UK's manufacturing plants remain competitive.

The UK has sought to work constructively with the EU to get the best deal for business. The Political Declaration sets out an ambitious plan for a new free trade area for goods, including no tariffs, with ambitious customs arrangements and deep regulatory cooperation. This will be the first such agreement between an advanced economy and the EU, and would ensure parts can be sourced from the EU in a timely manner. The only way to ensure that the UK's automotive and aerospace industries can remain competitive is to agree a deal that provides for tariff free trade and protected access to these vital supply chains.

BEIS Ministers and officials meet regularly with industry through the Automotive Council and the Aerospace Growth Partnership. Through this engagement we encourage companies to engage proactively with their supply chain to prepare for potential no deal scenarios. We are aware that companies in both sectors are stockpiling essential parts to try and minimise disruption in a no deal scenario.