Oral QuestionDepartment for Work and Pensions

“If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.”

Tabled: 28 February 2023Answered: 6 March 2023

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Answer from Hansard

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

As we have heard, the US is our largest single country trading partner, with total trade worth £315 billion in 2024, representing 18% of total UK trade. More than a million Americans work for UK-owned businesses and vice versa. We have regular and ongoing constructive negotiations with our US counterparts, including some this week, on securing a wider economic deal to benefit UK businesses and our economy. In those talks, we continually push the case for free and open trade. Nobody wants to see a trade war, so our focus is on keeping calm and continuing to negotiate in the interest of UK businesses and consumers.