Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the manufacturing sector in the light of increased inflationary pressure as a result of supply disruptions in the Red Sea.

The Department is monitoring the situation closely, engaging with businesses, stakeholders and across government to identify and mitigate supply chain issues.

In November 2023 my department published our Advanced Manufacturing Plan which included measures to support the resilience of the UK’s manufacturing supply chain. More recently we published our Critical Import and Supply Chain Strategy, which will help build secure and reliable supply chains vital to the UK economy – including in advanced manufacturing. The Advanced Manufacturing Plan and our Critical Import and Supply Chain Strategy also build on our semiconductor, battery and critical minerals strategies.