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Trade Agreements: Dispute Resolution

Asked by Neil Duncan-JordanLabourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 20 October 2025UIN 81765

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to negotiate investment agreements without investor-state settlement mechanisms in the future.

Answered by Chris Bryant

Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means for investors to resolve disputes with states where they believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation. The UK is a significant capital exporter and ISDS provisions provide an independent means to resolve disputes with host governments.

The UK will continue to work with trading partners multilaterally, such as at the OECD and the UN, to pursue opportunities to improve ISDS practice.

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