Speeches by Bryant.

“Just to explain some of the reluctance from business, sometimes it may be that a sole business is the business that is being harmed, and so that provides a problem for them. We are trying to find means with which we can help them get over that hurdle. The process is that, once the TRA has come to its conclusion, then i…”

“Kate is the expert on this—sorry.”

“I hope you would agree, Mr Speaker, that I have always done my level best to come to the House first with any new announcements. As I told the House last Thursday in written and oral statements, the Government’s new steel trade measure comes into force tomorrow, immediately succeeding the expiry of the steel safeguard,…”

“As I explained last Thursday, we have introduced transitional arrangements to make sure that for the first quarter, imports are possible where people already have contracts to bring stuff in. As I say, 73% of UK imports of steel will not be in scope of the measure at all and can come into the UK easily. We are simply t…”

“One of the things we are doing that happens tomorrow is the new steel trade measures that we are introducing, because we recognise that, if we are going to make sure that we have more of a level playing field for British steel production, then we have to have quotas and tariffs in place to do precisely that. On the who…”

“I have regularly and repeatedly met industry downstream and producers—I did so again yesterday—as has my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, the hon. Member for Stockton North (Chris McDonald), the Minister for Industry, who is sitting by my side. We have striven at every point to ensure th…”

“He’s a cheeky one! No, I am not going to sign up to the Lib Dem campaign. However, there is a serious point here: it would be much better if the UK and the EU were to have a mutual exemption in relation to quotas and tariffs in this area. I have made the point already, but I will make it again: we are not the problem f…”

“If the hon. Gentleman is not prepared to take me at my word, I am sorry but I will never be able to satisfy him. The truth is that I have been very open: I came to the House to make a statement last Thursday; we laid a written ministerial statement as well, which is obviously available to all Members; and I made a comm…”

“We have done 30 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures against China.”

“It is slightly early days, but I am always an optimist. It is in Kate’s hands, so it is bound to come off.”

“I will. I am not evading. As you can see, I am being fairly open about my views and where the Government want to get to. The second bit is that, if you wanted to have a forced labour ban on imports into the UK, which is more difficult, you have to decide what constitutes the offence, who is committing the offence, what…”

“That is a point well made.”

“Can I just do the second bit first because it fits with it?”

“I will come to that. There are two different elements here. First of all is the question that may be the most effective means of bringing about a change, which is to introduce due diligence requirements on company directors, who could potentially be civilly liable, so that they would have to make sure that, within thei…”

“I have not got that over the line yet.”

“Because of all the points that I have laid out earlier about the difficulties of getting decisions.”

“We have done a little bit of that already. One of the first things we did in July 2024—I will write to correct this if I have got this wrong—was a change about steel procurement in particular. I am in favour of that, but I return to my fundamental principle, which is that I am in favour of free trade as long as it is f…”

“We have always said that we want to provide protection for the categories of steel that are manufactured in the UK and that people can source in the UK. That is our primary aim. We need to keep that under review. As I said last Thursday—the hon. Gentleman will know this, as he was present—we will keep it under review f…”

“I might need notice of a question about stopping buses. I do not know the answer to that question; I do not know whether anybody else does. I will have to write to you on that, I am afraid. Sorry, Mr Reynolds.”

“I am obviously very forgettable. It is a very well-made point. It is utterly bizarre that the British armed forces are not attired using fabrics produced in the United Kingdom. As I say, I do not want to go too far down this route just because our supply chains across the whole of Europe are very complex. A point I mad…”