National Trade Conversation

The National Trade Conversation uniquely engaged people from around the country and from all walks of life. By involving key experts, government departments and interest groups, people were able to go beyond what initially appeared as a highly specialised area, and explore in-depth how the UK trades, how trade deals work and what issues could be on the table.

The focus of the discussions was on what matters most to people about the consumer aspects of trade deals when the risks and benefits are explained in detail. There was a remarkable amount of common ground across five dialogues in five different locations in the UK, with four clear priorities emerging relating to: maintaining food and consumer product standards, digital rights and data protection, ensuring that all regions of the country can benefit and protecting the environment. 

The government, therefore, needs to ensure that the views expressed by people in the dialogues and the principles that shaped their conclusions are taken into account in future rounds of trade talks. The Which? dialogues give a clear sense of what people across the UK expect trade policy to deliver.