Experts brief Lords committee on UK trade tools amid global turbulence

As global trade faces a choppy outlook, three experts—Dr Mona Paulsen, Sam Lowe and Holger Hestermeyer—appeared before the House of Lords’ International Agreements Committee on 21 April 2026 to give oral evidence on how the UK should deploy its trade instruments.

The session was framed around the question, “Trade in a turbulent world: how should the UK deploy its trade instruments,” and focused on the choices facing the government as it navigates shifting economic and geopolitical conditions.

Committee members questioned the panel on the UK Government’s trade strategy, the UK’s contribution to a proliferation of non-binding trade instruments, the value of free trade agreements (FTAs), and challenges to the multilateral trading system.

The hearing examined how these tools and approaches intersect, with the witnesses addressing the scope and limits of current policy, the role of non-binding arrangements alongside treaties, and the pressures weighing on multilateral mechanisms.