Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his most recent assessment is of the prospects for frictionless trade with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

We have been clear that the Government’s objective remains to secure trade with Europe that is tariff-free and as frictionless as possible. We will pursue an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU to achieve this. Both the UK and EU Member States benefit from our close trading relationship – the EU is the UK’s largest export market and the UK is the largest goods export market for the EU27 taken as a whole – so it is in both of our interests. Furthermore, we start from a unique position – with close regulatory alignment, trust in one another’s institutions, and a spirit of cooperation stretching back decades.