§ Sir Anthony Grantasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to resist any increase in protectionism in the free world; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe United Kingdom, in company with all other OECD countries, stands pledged both to resist pressures for further protectionism and to pursue possibilities for the progressive liberalisation of trade. With our community partners, we are currently embarked on a relaxation of our external trade regimes in many sectors, notably steel and textiles. The launch in September of a new round of trade negotiations under the aegis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade will offer further scope to strengthen the open multilateral trading system.