Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential economic benefit to Stoke-on-Trent joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would open up new opportunities for our exporters in strategically important sectors, helping to support an industrial revival in the UK. Trade with members of CPTPP already benefits the region. In 2018, Shropshire and Staffordshire exported around £431m worth of goods to CPTPP countries and imported around £801m worth of goods from CPTPP countries[1]. In 2019, the West Midlands as a whole exported over £2.4 billion worth of goods to CPTPP member countries, representing around 8 per cent of the region’s exports. The West Midlands imported over £1.9 billion worth of goods from CPTPP member countries, representing just over 5% of goods imports to the region[2].

If the UK Government decides to formally apply for accession, we will publish an Outline Approach and a Scoping Assessment setting out our negotiating objectives and the potential benefits of accession, to the UK and the UK’s nations and regions.

[1] Source: HMRC Regional Trade in Goods Statistics, disaggregated by smaller geographical areas, NUTS2 level (released November 2019). Note data on regional trade with Brunei in unavailable.

[2] Source: HMRC Regional Trade in Goods Statistics (April to June 2020 release). Note data on regional trade with Brunei in unavailable.