I am aware of the concerns raised by the Irish Whiskey Association with regard to protection of Irish whiskey, and their objective that Irish whiskey be offered equivalent protection to Scotch whisky in the US. We sought to address this issue through our previous free trade agreement negotiations, and we will continue to raise it in our ongoing engagement with the US.

A UK-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could have a significant positive impact on living standards for households across the UK due to potential wage rises combined with lower prices for goods imported from the US. The Department for International Trade (DIT) analysis published in 2020 shows that an ambitious FTA with the US could deliver a £15.3 billion increase in bilateral trade and a £3.4 billion lift to the UK economy. DIT’s analysis also suggests productivity gains from a UK-US FTA could contribute to wage increases of up to £1.8 billion for UK workers in the long run.

Further detail can be found in the report on https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-approach-to-trade-negotiations-with-the-us

None.

The last UK troops left Camp Bastion in November 2014. Prior to that point, security arrangements for Camp Bastion, the adjacent Camp Leatherneck and the surrounding area were shared between the UK forces and the US Marine Corps. These arrangements were the subject of extensive investigation by the Defence Select Committee in their 2014-15 inquiry into the September 2012 attack on the Bastion-Leatherneck complex. Large areas of what was Camp Bastion now form part of Camp Shorabak, which is used by elements of the Afghan National Defence Security Forces.