Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of Free Trade Agreements in (a) levelling up communities and (b) accelerating an industrial revival in (i) Stoke-on-Trent and (ii) Staffordshire.

This question was answered on 22nd June 2020

Securing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) will be a key driver in levelling-up the UK. The potential benefits of FTAs include better jobs, higher wages, more choice and lower prices for UK consumers and businesses.

Our scoping assessments show that the West Midlands could benefit from future FTAs with the US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Stoke-on-Trent exported £458m and imported £696m worth of goods globally in 2018. Similarly, Staffordshire exported £4.6bn and imported £5.6bn worth of goods globally in 2018.