UK-India Free Trade Agreement

This trade agreement is a huge economic win for the UK—the biggest trade deal since Brexit and the best deal that India has ever offered. As we have heard, it is estimated to increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, UK GDP by £4.8 billion and wages by £2.2 billion each year in the long run. It will mean new opportunities for businesses in every part of the United Kingdom.

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am having some import-export issues myself, as my first book, a provocative and racy thriller, is being published in India in July.

What’s it called?

It is called “30th State”. May I congratulate the Secretary of State and former colleagues on this deal, which is great for whisky distilleries such as Lochlea in my constituency. When I was trade commissioner, Conservative Ministers were clamouring for a trade deal with India. Will my right hon. Friend tell the House how he has managed to do it one year after they failed miserably?

I am extremely grateful for that question. I acknowledge my hon. Friend’s considerable expertise and service to this country through his commendable work as trade commissioner. I hope that he will advise us all on how to get a copy of his book—perhaps a copy could be placed in the Library. He is right to say that this is a great deal for every part of the UK. It is particularly strong for Scotland, given the iconic reduction in the tariff on Scotch whisky for the Lochlea distillery, and it is strong on Scottish salmon and services. These deals come down to a lot of work not just from the ministerial team but from the whole departmental team. I pay tribute to them and my officials for all their important work in this matter.

Last week I had the privilege of visiting A&M Pure Precision, a long-established local firm in my Smethwick constituency that specialises in designing, developing, testing and machining complex precision components in a range of materials for sectors including aerospace, automotive, motorsport, space and unmanned aerial vehicle engine systems. Given the importance of advanced manufacturing to the local economy, what assessment has the Secretary of State made of how the UK-India free trade agreement—and indeed other agreements—could create new opportunity for such firms and support wider economic growth in the west midlands?

What a privilege it must be for my hon. Friend to represent a constituency with so many essential businesses doing such brilliant work for this country. On advanced manufacturing, he is right to say that a set of advantageous positions has been agreed, putting this country at a genuine competitive advantage, particularly in relation to sectors such as automotive and machinery, which I would expect his constituency to benefit from. India is traditionally a very protectionist economy, and it is the world’s fastest growing big economy. Whether it is for goods or services, A&M Pure Precision or the west midlands as a whole, there is so much good stuff here to celebrate.

The Minister can expect an autographed copy of the book by the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Alan Gemmell) to be spinning its way towards his office as we speak. I very much welcome the UK-India free trade agreement. It is good news, but Northern Ireland has a particular protocol issue. I know that the Minister is keen— I know it for a fact, because his answers are always good—that Northern Ireland can receive the same benefits as the rest of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland and Wales. Can he assure us that we in Northern Ireland will also be benefactors?

I appreciate the hon. Member’s kind words. He will know that ensuring that everything my Department does works for Northern Ireland is a personal priority for me and for the ministerial team. In relation to exports, I can assure him that Northern Ireland will benefit from the advantageous position that the whole United Kingdom is in. We do have issues in making sure the more complex regulatory position from the protocol in Northern Ireland is working in the best possible way. There are very strong reasons for making that work better, if we can do so, and he has my commitment that we will seek to do that.