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 UK oil refining from the unilateral application of zero import tariffs on 87 per cent of goods entering the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK will implement a temporary tariff.

The policy has been designed with the aim of minimising disruption and strikes a balance between avoiding high adjustment costs and protecting businesses from unfair trade in some sectors, and liberalising tariffs to maintain current supply chains and to avoid increases in consumer prices.

A range of evidence, including internal Government modelling on tariffs in a no deal scenario, supplemented with business stakeholder engagement, has identified sectors that would face significant adjustment costs from liberalisation, and where a reduction in tariffs could help mitigate consumer price increases.

At the end of the temporary period, the Government will introduce a long-term tariff regime. This will be developed over the course of the coming months following a full public consultation process.