Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2024 to Question 24833 on Edinburgh Airport, whether a (a) treaty and (b) formal agreement between the UK and USA is required before any commercial deal.

A treaty covering a formal agreement to allow the US to operate pre-clearance on UK soil would be required before it could be operated at a UK airport. However, pre-clearance also requires a commercial agreement between the UK airport operator and the US authorities for this to be advanced beyond the discussions that have already taken place.