Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what emphasis they intended to make on human rights in negotiating a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. The Department for Business and Trade are currently assessing progress across the programme of Free Trade Agreements currently under negotiation. Economic growth is our first mission in government and Free Trade Agreements have an important part to play in that. The Department's trade deals will be aligned with its industrial strategy, to bring prosperity to communities across the country and fulfil our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.