Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what sectors he has identified as most at risk in the event that the UK does not replicate existing EU trade agreements before the UK leaves the EU.

The Government is keenly aware of the importance of our existing trade agreements to individual businesses and sectors across the UK. For example, the trade continuity agreement with the Faroe Islands is of particular interest to UK processing sector, with almost £200 million worth of fish and crustaceans brought into the UK from the Faroe Islands in 2017. The agreement will allow imports to continue tariff-free and enable businesses to trade as freely as they do now. Similarly, the UK-Swiss trade continuity agreement means the British vehicles sector could avoid up to £8 million a year in tariff charges on their exports that would apply if the agreement wasn’t in place.

This is why we are committed to replicating the effects of these agreements as far as possible so that businesses have certainty and stability as we leave the European Union. We are preparing for all eventualities.