Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business and Trade during negotiation of accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and what recent assessment he has made of the potential preference erosion impact of the UK's accession on exporters to the UK in developing countries not party to that agreement.

The UK Government must balance our commitment to support developing countries to reduce poverty through trade with the domestic interests of our consumers and producers and our broader strategic interests such a joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Agricultural commodity exports are critical to many developing countries. That is reflected through the market access we offer in our Economic Partnership Agreements and the Developing Countries Trade Scheme, and is something we address in our portfolio of trade-related technical assistance.