The International Trade Committee has published the
Government’s response
to its report into UK trade options
beyond 2019.
The Committee’s report, published in March, set out the
central challenges facing the Government as it began to
set the UK’s future trading relationship with the EU and
the rest of the world after Brexit.
It particularly highlighted the importance of
establishing the UK’s position at the World Trade
Organization (WTO). It also sought clarity and
reassurance from the Government about various aspects of
establishing new trading arrangements with the EU and
other trade partners – not least “grandfathering” the
trade agreements from which the UK currently benefits as an
EU member.
Committee Chair Angus MacNeil commented:
“It is eight months since we published this report and 16 months
until Brexit happens. Time is running out, yet the
Government appears to
be moving at glacial speed. On both WTO
schedules and grandfathering, the Government tells
us only that it has begun discussions. There is no
evidence that there are workable plans to deal with the problems
and pitfalls to which we drew attention back in March.
“These issues may not get the attention that, for instance, the
prospect of trade deals with the EU and US do,
but they are crucially important for UK
trade. British businesses need certainty and clarity
right now, to allow them to plan
ahead and adapt to the
new post-Brexit trade landscape. The lack of
progress demonstrated by the Government’s response, and
the lack of detail provided, is particularly disappointing given
how long we have waited for it.”
