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 a free trade agreement with Australia on (a) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (b) Haltemprice and Howden constituency.

The Government’s economic analysis, published on 17 June 2020, seeks to identify the potential scale of the long-term additional benefit to the UK from having a deal with Australia.

Yorkshire and the Humber’s top goods export to Australia, general industrial machinery, equipment and machine parts, saw an increase from 2019 to 2020. Liberalisation of tariffs on these products (currently up to 5%) and reducing other non-tariff barriers to trade should further benefit this industry, and others.

Following the conclusion of negotiations, a full impact assessment will be published prior to implementation.