Thursday Volume 696 10 June 2021 No. 15 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 10 June 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1097 10 JUNE 2021 1098 Emily Thornberry: I thank the Minister for that answer House of Commons but the British farming industry knows the truth: the trade and agriculture commission it was promised to Thursday 10 June 2021 defend the interests of British farmers is not the one advertised by the Government this week, and my question The House met at half-past Nine o’clock to the Minister of State is simply this: why? What are the Government so scared of? If they are confident that their deal with Australia will benefit British farmers, PRAYERS not undermine them, why do they not have the courage of their convictions and establish the trade and agriculture [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] commission on the basis that farmers were promised Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Orders, last November and let the voice of British farming 4 June and 30 December 2020). deliver its verdict on the deal? [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] Greg Hands: We—myself, the Secretary of State and the whole of the Department for International Trade—listen very carefully, of course, to the voices of British farmers. Oral Answers to Questions The Secretary of State opened expressions of interest to become members of the trade and agriculture commission just this week. It is very important to understand that INTERNATIONAL TRADE the role of the commission never has been to advise on negotiations; its role will be as debated and approved The Secretary of State was asked— during the passage of the Trade Act 2021 and the Agriculture Act 2020, and we are looking forward to Trade Agreements: SMEs seeing its scrutiny later this year. Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): What Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and steps she is taking to ensure that trade agreements Strathspey) (SNP): Many happy returns to you today, provide a level playing field for SMEs. [900730] Mr Speaker. SMEs make up the backbone of the Scotch whisky The Minister for Trade Policy (Greg Hands) [V]: industry and the Minister likes to talk about whisky, so Employing 17 million people and generating £2.3 trillion let us talk about the reality for the industry resulting in turnover, small and medium-sized enterprises are from the Government’s trade policy. Speyside Distillery, vital to increasing UK trade. That is why we are continuing winner of best whisky at the world whisky awards, tells to seek SME chapters and SME-friendly provisions me that sales are dramatically down since Brexit and throughout all our free trade agreements. Outside the that this Government’s awful Brexit deal has led to the SME chapter, the wider benefits of the agreements—for cost of its goods going up by a fifth—up 12% on glass example, reducing customs costs, supporting intellectual and up 7% on cardboard—and increased shipping costs property rights, facilitating mutual recognition of and delays. Extra paperwork alone is costing it 33p per professional qualifications and increasing regulatory case. It tells me that a deal with Australia will not even transparency—will help to level the field between SMEs scratch the sides of its substantial losses from Brexit, so and large businesses. what additional support and compensation will the Government pay to distilleries such as Speyside for Mr Speaker: Mr Hollinrake is not here, so we will go these losses? instead to the shadow Secretary of State. Emily Thornberry (Islington South and Finsbury) Greg Hands: I am delighted to hear the Scottish (Lab): Small and medium-sized farms across the country National party raise the subject of whisky, because it are rightly worried that this weekend’s agreement with did not do so in the urgent question two weeks ago on Australia and the precedent it will set for future trade the Australia trade deal. I remind SNP Members that deals will not just undermine their business but destroy Scotch whisky currently faces tariffs going into Australia; them. Last November, the Minister of State promised it is one of Scotch whisky’s most important markets these farmers that the new trade and agriculture commission and is a growing market even during the pandemic. In would mean that terms of trade volumes with the European Union, we “all the National Farmers Unions…will play an active role in are continuing to see a recovery in the data. This is of assessing trade agreements going forward”—[Official Report, course volatile data, but none the less there was a 46% 17 November 2020; Vol. 684, c. 190.]— increase in exports to the EU in February and a further and that as a consequence the farming industry’s interests 9% increase in March. Further data will be coming out would be “advanced and protected” by the TAC. Does in due course. he stand by those statements today? Drew Hendry: As ever,when presented with the realities Greg Hands [V]: I thank the right hon. Lady for those the Minister just spins into Brexit fantasy. They just do questions and I absolutely stand by that. We are involving not care about Scottish businesses. There is a good NFUs from all four nations; I have met NFU Scotland’s reason why the SNP has never supported Westminster’s Martin Kennedy twice in recent weeks. We are confident trade policy, and that is because Scotland’s needs are that the new trade and agriculture commission will be always ignored. The UK Government said fishing was up and running in good time for it to conduct its expendable during the EU negotiations in the ’70s, their statutory review of the Australia free trade agreement. Brexit obsession dragged us out of the world’s largest 1099 Oral Answers 10 JUNE 2021 Oral Answers 1100 single market, and now they are betraying our farmers considered lifting her pen and signing a Swiss-style SPS and crofters all while capitulating on standards in animal agreement to make things a whole lot better on a welfare. They do not listen to Scotland and they do not number of fronts? care about Scotland, but is the Minister aware that they are being found out in Scotland? Elizabeth Truss: My colleague Lord Frost is clear that we need to see pragmatism from the EU to resolve this Greg Hands: I am not sure that the hon. Gentleman issue. The hon. Gentleman does not seem to acknowledge has been listening carefully enough to what I have been that the parts of the world where we are striking deals, saying to him about the SNP and trade deals. It is not whether Asia-Pacific with the comprehensive and just Westminster trade deals that he and his colleagues progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership or have rejected; they have even rejected the trade deals countries such as India and those in the Gulf, are the negotiated previously by the European Union. He has fast-growing parts of the world. He is living in a static pledged to rejoin the EU, in which case Scotland would past; we are living in a dynamic future. become immediately subject to those trade deals. He also wishes to rejoin the common fisheries policy, which English Language Teaching would be completely against the interest of fishers right across Scotland. Caroline Ansell (Eastbourne) (Con): What discussions The SNP has never supported any trade deal. It has she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting the been against the Canada and South Africa deals, and it recovery of the UK’s English language teaching sector. has not supported the Japan or Singapore deals. It is [900733] simply anti-business, anti-trade and against the interests of the Scotch whisky industry and of Scottish fishers. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade (Graham Stuart): Happy birthday, Trade Agreements: US, Canada and New Zealand Mr Speaker. Recognising the challenges that the sector faces, both Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): What progress I and my co-chair of the education sector advisory she has made on negotiating free trade agreements with group, the Minister for Universities, continue to engage (a) the US, (b) Canada and (c) New Zealand. [900732] with colleagues across Government to explore options for further support. The Secretary of State for International Trade (Elizabeth Truss): We are making significant progress with our free Caroline Ansell [V]: The English language is arguably trade agreement negotiations. We have just launched a this country’s most successful export. Covid has of consultation on the new, improved trade agreement course devastated the sector, and with the international with Canada, we are in the final stages of our FTA with scene still challenging, the impact goes on and is deep New Zealand, and we are in the midst of resolving the and wide even as other sectors recover. Will my hon. Airbus-Boeing dispute with the US. Friend meet me, a delegation of MPs and officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Mr Hollobone: Does my right hon. Friend think it is Strategy and the Ministry of Housing, Communities right that the EU should have greater access to the UK and Local Government to work together to overcome market than our friends in New Zealand? the challenges that the sector faces and safeguard the future of this vital export, which is so important to Elizabeth Truss: Next week we have the New Zealand Eastbourne and to the UK? Trade Minister, Damien O’Connor, coming to the UK, and we are working on a gold-standard agreement that Graham Stuart: I would of course be delighted to will give us more access to Pacific markets at the same meet my hon.