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There have been reports that in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, the Government could slash tariffs on imported goods by 80 to 90 per cent.
Letter from Nicky Morgan to Philip Hammond (
PDF 111 KB)
Rt Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Chair of the Treasury Committee, has written to Rt Hon. Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to ask whether this is indeed the current Treasury position on tariff policy in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Mrs Morgan has requested that the Chancellor provides the Committee with this information before next week’s scheduled meaningful vote on the Withdrawal Agreement.
Mrs Morgan has also requested that the Chancellor provides an update to the Committee of the Government’s economic analysis produced in December. This should incorporate regional and sectoral analyses of both removing and maintaining tariffs, and also set out how the UK’s ability to negotiate new trade deals would be impacted in the event of tariffs being removed.
Chair's comments
Commenting on the correspondence, Mrs Morgan said:
“MPs should not have to read reports in the press that the Government is planning to slash tariffs on almost all imported goods. This is likely to have a significant impact on different business sectors and regions in the UK economy.
“When MPs decide which voting lobby to walk through next week for the meaningful vote, one of the roles of select committees is to ensure that they are doing so with as much information as possible.
“At present, MPs are expected to vote blindly next week without this information.
“As the Chancellor has rightly told the Treasury Committee, the maximum amount of analysis should be put in the public domain when a deal is put before Parliament.
“The Chancellor should stick to his word and provide this information to the Committee, which we will publish, prior to next week’s vote.”
Further information
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