Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranian Convention on Rules of Origin.

We are always looking at ways to reduce barriers to trade – within our manifesto red lines – because we take a pragmatic view as to where the national interest lies. We are therefore open to looking at PEM if that reflects business and partner sentiment, but we do not currently have plans to join. Rules of origin is a complex area and there are many factors that influence how businesses experience using these rules, from the paperwork involved to the complexity of their own supply chains.