Chair, Discussant, Members of the WTO, I am honoured to address you today as we conclude the second day of the UK’s first ever Trade Policy Review. On behalf of His Majesty’s Government, I extend our sincere thanks to all of you for your thoughtful interventions and we hope you enjoyed our Great British breakfast on Tuesday with our Minister. It was a real privilege for me to hear so early in my job the views of over...
Chair, Discussant, Members of the WTO, I am honoured to address you today as we conclude the second day of the UK’s first ever Trade Policy Review. On behalf of His Majesty’s Government, I extend our sincere thanks to all of you for your thoughtful interventions and we hope you enjoyed our Great British breakfast on Tuesday with our Minister. It was a real privilege for me to hear so early in my job the views of over 60 Members on the UK’s trade policy, and I look forward to hearing more from you in the days and weeks to come. I will try to address the principal areas and issues raised by Members. I would, however, say that as an avid Arsenal fan, I was very pleased with the number of footballing references. But sadly, as a cricket fan, I was disappointed by the number of cricket references. Perhaps I might call on the cricketing members of the Commonwealth – and in particular I look in one direction over there – to maybe improve our game in this regard. Before I start, though, I would like to echo the sentiments of my Minister and express my sincere sympathies with the people of Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti, and the surrounding region, for the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. We offer the UK’s full support and stand ready to mobilise resources to support in recovery. Hurricane Melissa is one very live natural disaster, but these sorts of phenomena are becoming more frequent, with substantial impacts on all those involved and on global trade. This is why we recognise the need for greater trade facilitation during emergencies, as we set out in our Trade Strategy. It is something that I know is of great importance to many of you, including our Discussant. We look forward to working with you, and all Members, to find ways to reduce the significant barriers to trade in crisis response scenarios. Hopefully, as these moments of crisis remind us, we are not bystanders at the WTO and that we too have a role to play. Trade Strategy and Industrial Strategy Moving on to our Trade Strategy more broadly, we appreciate the opportunity to have shared the UK’s vision for the future of trade, which reflects today’s challenging economic and geopolitical context. We are heartened that Members have engaged with this vision so constructively and agree that sustainable, inclusive and resilient economic growth for us all can be achieved through open and fair trade. We also welcome the interest expressed in our Industrial Strategy and our SME Strategy, which aim to make the UK more open and investment-friendly, while nurturing the industries and sectors of the future. Services, Digital Trade, Green Trade I would like to turn to services, digital trade and green trade. We are pleased that Members recognised our strengths in services, digital trade, and the green economy. As highlighted in the various reports, services industries account for over 80% of total UK economic output. As requested by Members, we would be happy to continue sharing our experiences as UK exports continue to grow. We also recognise the transformative potential of digital trade. We are committed to creating an enabling environment that supports inclusive and sustainable growth. We continue to be strong supporters of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce and are optimistic that consensus can be reached on the e-commerce moratorium at MC14. We welcome Members’ recognition of the UK’s strong performance in clean energy and the broader actions towards the green economy as well as our commitment to decarbonisation. We will continue with our efforts to integrate climate and environmental goals into our trade policy, including through measures to facilitate trade in environmental goods and services. Development On development, we are pleased that Members recognise the value of our technical assistance for developing countries and welcome the positive comments from Members on our Developing Countries Trading Scheme. This is something that I am personally proud of having worked on in my previous role. This is the world’s most generous trading scheme, extending a unilateral trade offer to 65 countries that collectively supports £23 billion worth of goods exported to the UK in 2024. As one fellow PR pointed out to me, this is indeed the UK’s own special form of unilateral action. We hope it demonstrates the UK’s firm commitment to supporting the participation of developing countries and LDCs in the multilateral trading system. We appreciate the numerous positive comments made regarding our Aid for Trade programmes, including TAF2+, the EIF and our support for ACWL. I hope to share even further good news in this area in the days to come. Trade Agreements Beyond the WTO, the Membership noted the expansive suite of trade agreements and arrangements the UK has in place, meaning that we have got deals with many of you. Although sadly for the Minister, we didn’t get quite over the line with the GCC this week. But we will be back. This demonstrates our independent trade policy in action since leaving the EU. This includes joining the CPTPP. We thank our fellow partners for their warm welcome, and we will continue to work together to widen and deepen the opportunities arising from this innovative agreement. The UK will not shy away from exploring targeted new deals, in line with the Trade Strategy, to source further opportunities for growth. We hope that collectively our actions have shown that we have used our trade freedoms since leaving the EU and our voice in this room to champion fair trade and development for all globally. US EPD We are of course also deepening our relationship with the United States in both trade and technology. As the Minister said on Day 1, we agreed the General Terms of our Economic Prosperity Deal in May, and the ambitious Technology Prosperity Deal in September. We recognise the continued interest from Members on the progress of these negotiations, which are still ongoing. We are looking at further reducing tariffs, increasing digital and services trade, and improving supply chain resilience. We continue to discuss with the US the appropriate notification procedures following the conclusion of negotiations. Argentina response In reference to the room document circulated by Argentina, I would simply note that the United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime areas of both territories. Trade Remedies Turning to some of the challenges highlighted, we note that a number of Members requested further information on the UK’s trade remedies mechanisms. To respond to unfair trading practices, we are strengthening our trade remedies toolkit in accordance with WTO frameworks. Some Members also raised queries about the UK’s steel safeguards. The UK currently applies 17 separate anti-dumping or countervailing measures on certain steel imports. These are in addition to the globally applied steel safeguard measures on 14 separate steel product categories. As these safeguards are set to expire in June 2026, we are now working alongside stakeholders to develop long-term policies in line with our international obligations. NSIA Let me now turn to the matter of the UK’s approach to safeguarding investment. The UK is one of the most open economies in the world. But an open approach to international investment must include safeguards to protect our national security. Our system under the National Security and Investment Act delivers this, providing investors with a clear, transparent, and predictable screening regime. This Act applies to investments irrespective of origin, both foreign and domestic. It is, and will always be, the objective of the UK to be principled, objective and transparent in our actions. The large majority of investment continues to flow without any interaction with this Act. Of those transactions reviewed by the government in the last reporting year, over 95% were cleared within 30 working days. All notifications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and we cannot take actions for reason other than national security. The low intervention rate and rapid timelines show that the National Security and Investment Act protects UK national security and gives certainty to investors whilst minimising barriers for businesses. Tariffs, including Article 28 Questions were also raised regarding our tariff regime. Since leaving the EU, we have simplified our applicable tariffs, and these can be easily verified in our user-friendly online database helpfully called “The Tariff Tool”. We are grateful for the detailed questions received from members on the specifics of our tariff regime and we have responded to those. Since the TPR reports were circulated to the Membership, the UK closed our Article 28 process covering Tariff Rate Quotas apportioned after we left the EU, creating greater clarity around the UK’s goods schedule. TBT Turning briefly to TBT, in response to a Member’s concern, I can say that our approach to the designation of standards setting bodies is consistent with our international obligations. CBAM On trade and environment, we acknowledge the concerns raised by certain Members regarding the implementation of our proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. We have undertaken extensive consultations on the design and implementation of this measure from a very early stage, ensuring transparency and international cooperation throughout. We will continue to engage with all trade partners to support implementation, including by developing a comprehensive communications package and detailed guidance in advance of this coming into effect in January 2027. Agriculture and Food Standards We thank Members for their interest in various elements of the UK’s agri-food policies. The UK operates a robust science and evidence-based regime to protect biosecurity and ensure our food is safe for consumers. The systems we have in place facilitate trade and ensure we have a resilient, diverse and affordable food supply, all implemented in compliance with the international rules. Our transition to more sustainable agriculture across the UK is focused on supporting long-term food security and environmental goals. We are committed to being open and transparent in our actions as evidenced by our engagement in the Committee on Agriculture. We have submitted over 38 notifications and answered 139 questions since taking up our independent seat at the WTO. We will continue to contribute constructively to discussions on agriculture, including agriculture reform negotiations. Trade Facilitation, Customs, STW, Tax Focusing briefly on questions related to customs, earlier this year, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs published its Transformation Roadmap, outlining our commitment to build a modern tax and customs administration. We are reviewing the customs treatment of our low-value tariff imports as part of our commitment to supporting fairer global trade and, acknowledging the pause, we remain committed to delivering a Single Trade Window. WTO Chair, to finish, I want to focus on our role here at the WTO. I want to thank those Members who have praised our approach in Geneva. It is great to hear that our efforts and our voice are both valued and recognised. This includes our championing of plurilaterals, which we will continue to do. They are a core part of the energy and dynamism at the WTO. This includes the agreements on E-Commerce and Investment Facilitation for Development, and we encourage all Members to join them, or at least not block their incorporation into the WTO rulebook. We are grateful to Members for welcoming our joining the MPIA, which we believe is another good example of what Members can achieve plurilaterally when there is a will. As our Minister said on Tuesday, we are at an existential point and reform is no longer an option, it is essential. We need to work together if we not only want this organisation to survive, but also to thrive. It is not a perfect system but it’s the best one we’ve built together, and it only works if we keep showing up, playing fairly and helping one another to improve. Conclusion On behalf of the United Kingdom, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the WTO Secretariat for its outstanding professionalism throughout our first Trade Policy Review. Your expertise and readiness to assist at every stage made a complex process both smooth and constructive. We are also especially grateful to my already, I feel, good friend, the Discussant, Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain, for generously taking time out of a busy schedule to champion this vital transparency function, and for the thoughtful engagement that has enriched our discussions. I would also like to extend a warm thank you to the Chair for skilfully guiding proceedings and fostering a collaborative spirit amongst all Members. Thank you. Lastly, I would like to thank my excellent team here in Geneva and in the UK. Every PR knows that you are only as good as the team that supports you. So I would like to thank them. To close, in keeping with many Members on Day 1, if you will entertain my football analogy, every fan knows that a great game depends on more than just talent. It depends on respect for the referees, trust in the rules and belief in the value of the match itself. The same is true of the multilateral trading system. Thank you.
Speech Brief