Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to maintain the state aid regime following the UK’s departure from the EU; and if so, how.

The Government is aware that the EU negotiating mandate explicitly refers to state aid in the context of any future trade agreement between the EU and UK. This future relationship is subject to negotiation.

While the Government cannot speculate on outcomes at this stage, any future regime will be based on the principles of open and fair markets. As my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister said in Florence the Government believes “it would be a serious mistake to try to beat other countries’ industries by unfairly subsidising one’s own”.