| Author (Corporate) | United Kingdom: Department for International Trade |
|---|---|
| Publisher | GOV.UK |
| Series Title | Policy Paper |
| Series Details | October 2017 (Cm 9470) |
| Publication Date | 09/10/2017 |
| ISBN | 978-1-5286-0033-0 |
| Content Type | Report |
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The United Kingdom published two White Papers on the 9 October 2017, which set out its vision for post EU trade and customs policy once the UK had withdrawn from the European Union. In Preparing for our future UK trade policy the Department for International Trade established the principles that would guide future UK trade policy as well as laying out the practical steps that would support those aims. These included: + taking steps to enable the UK to maintain the benefits of the World Trade Organisation’s Government Procurement Agreement The UK Government also published on the 9 October 2017 a separate White Paper Customs Bill: Legislating for the UK’s future customs, VAT and excise regimes. The White Papers were published on the same day as the start of the fifth round of Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK in Brussels. On the 7 November 2017 a Trade Bill entered Parliament (with a Customs Bill (formally called the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill) to follow), to set the groundwork for the UK to become an independent global trading nation. Key measures in the Trade Bill included provisions for the UK to implement existing EU trade agreements, helping ensure that UK companies could continue to access £1.3 trillion worth of major government contracts in other countries and creating a new trade remedies body to defend UK businesses against injurious trade practices. Further tax-related elements of the UK’s trade policy would be legislated in the HM Treasury’s Customs Bill – Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill – as part of the creation of a new UK tariff regime. This included the trade remedies and unilateral trade preferences which provide preferential trade access to UK markets for developing countries. The Trade Bill would give the devolved authorities powers to make regulations to implement rolled-over EU trade agreements and the GPA in areas of devolved competence, but subject to more restrictions than UK ministers. The Scottish Government recommended against giving legislative consent to the Bill, and the Welsh Government said amendments would be needed before it could recommend legislative consent. Government amendments to the Bill made in the House of Commons reduced the restrictions on devolved ministers’ use of the powers, but did not address all the concerns raised by the Scottish and Welsh Governments. The Bill was also amended in the Commons to place further restrictions on the use of delegated powers to implement rolled-over EU trade agreements, although MPs expressed concerns over the level of parliamentary scrutiny of this process and whether other countries would agree to roll these agreements over without substantive changes. The Government was defeated on a cross-party backbench amendment on participation in the European medicines regulatory network after exit day. A backbench amendment which would have required the Government to seek to participate in a customs union with the EU if it could not negotiate a frictionless free trade area with the EU was defeated by a majority of six. The Trade Bill completed its legislative stages in the House of Commons in the summer of 2018. The Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 18 July 2018. It was scheduled to have its second reading on 11 September 2018. * The Department for International Trade announced on the 10 May 2018 that the UK’s new Trade Remedies Authority would be based in Reading. The new agency would take on powers from the EU to investigate unfair trade practices and unexpected surges in imports that harmed UK industry. Background The programme was dominated by proposed legislation dealing with the United Kingdom's planned leaving of the European Union. Eight of the twenty seven bills to be introduced were connected with Brexit. + European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (introduced on the 13 July 2017) |
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| Source Link | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-our-future-uk-trade-policy |
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| Subject Categories | Trade |
| Countries / Regions | United Kingdom |
