Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, by what date she expects a free trade agreement with Israel to be concluded.

We launched negotiations for an upgraded Free Trade Agreement with Israel in July and held the first round of technical discussions in Jerusalem on 12 – 20 September.

The Government is clear that in negotiations we will not sacrifice quality for speed. We already have an existing deal providing tariff-free trade for 99% of the value of current goods trade. This upgraded agreement is fundamentally about adding ambitious coverage of services and procurement for a modern digital economy. We will only sign when we have a deal that is fair, reciprocal, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy.