Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of making sector-by-sector deals with certain industries after the UK leaves the EU on the competitiveness of those industries' supply chains.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper, published on 23 January, proposes industry-led “sector deals” to enable sectors to maximise their productivity and competitiveness. The competitiveness of supply chains is proposed as a key component of sector deals.

With regard to trade agreements, as my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 23 January, we will seek a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the EU. We want Britain to have the greatest possible tariff and barrier-free trade in goods and services with our European neighbours and also to be able to negotiate our own trade agreements.