Minister to be questioned on UK-India Free Trade Agreement

The House of Lords International Agreements Committee will tomorrow be questioning the Department for Business and Trade as part of its inquiry into the UK-India Free Trade Agreement. 

The session will take place on Tuesday 9 December at 4pm and can be followed live on parliament.tv 

Giving evidence will be: 

• Chris Bryant, Minister of State for Trade Policy, Department for Business and Trade 

• Kate Thornley, Chief Negotiator, Department for Business and Trade 

Topics the committee is likely to cover include:  

• The extent to which the broader geopolitical environment for trade has influenced the final agreement; 

• The impact of the agreement on UK producers and manufacturers; 

• How the Government consulted with industry throughout the negotiations; 

• The potential for the agreement to have a detrimental effect on some developing countries; 

• Measures the Government is putting in place to support businesses in utilising the Agreement, particularly SMEs; 

• The impact of the agreement on trade in services; 

• Whether the UK's access could be undermined if India reaches a trade agreement with the EU or US; 

• The status of the Bilateral Investment Treaty currently under negotiation; 

• The Government's priorities for the economic and trade relationship with India going forward.