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Foreign Investment: Dispute Resolution

Asked by Brendan O'HaraScottish National PartyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 27 April 2026UIN 129164

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how the Government aligns its climate commitments with continued support for investor–state dispute settlement provisions in bilateral investment treaties where such provisions may affect fossil fuel transition policies in partner countries.

Answered by Chris Bryant

The UK draws on the full range of investment commitments and international best practice in our international investment agreements to promote growth, deliver our clean energy goals, and continue to uphold the UK’s right to regulate.

Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation. ISDS does not remove governments’ right to regulate in the public interest, including with respect to the environment.

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