Roger Gale MP on EU trade dispute: UK must respect international law

Following the conclusion of today's talks between the EU and the UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol, Conservative MP Roger Gale, who tomorrow will chair a session of the UK Trade and Business Commission on the veterinary issues central to the dispute, said:

“Businesses are understandably anxious that the current uncertainty looks set to continue and rightly expect both sides to focus on finding solutions not generating headlines.

“The UK needs to act like a global leader, respect international law and the agreement that we voluntarily entered into and rebuild trust with our closest and largest trading market."

Background

Tomorrow, the cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission will hear evidence on the problems which have arisen in the trade in animal products to and from the UK since January 2021 and recommendations on how they can be addressed, including a potential EU-UK veterinary agreement. The session will be broadcast live on YouTube here.

The UK Trade and Business Commission brings together eleven MPs from nine different parties and all four nations of the UK, along with business leaders and experts. It is co-convened by Hilary Benn MP and the Chairman of Virgin Group Peter Norris and the secretariat is provided by the cross-party group Best for Britain. The commission is taking written evidence and holding regular oral evidence sessions with expert witnesses, businesses and the public, hearing from a range of voices representing the different sectors of the UK economy. This evidence will be used to make regular recommendations to the Government outlining how the UK's trade performance can be improved, both through new and amended trade deals.