Trade

Scott Steedman, Director of Standards at BSI has been re-appointed to the Strategic Trade Advisory Group (STAG) by Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss and International Trade Minister, Ranil Jayawardena.

The purpose of STAG is to bring together a range of stakeholders from across, business, academia, consumer groups, think tanks and beyond to help them inform government trade policy. STAG is chaired by Minister for International Trade, Ranil Jayawardena. Scott had previously sat on STAG from its inception in 2019 providing advice on standards.

In his re-appointed role, he will continue to help shape the UK's future trade policy and realise opportunities across all nations and regions. Through Scott, UK standards makers will have a voice which enables them to contribute to UK trade policy and trade deals. This will help to break down technical barriers to trade, support UK consumer protection and strengthen the UK’s global influence.

Beyond his work on STAG, Scott recently provided evidence to the House of Lords EU International Agreements Sub-Committee on how standards play a vital role in helping goods enter global markets and discussing the UK’s influential role in the International Standard Organisations, ISO and IEC. 

BSI will continue to engage with government through our regular channels in DIT and BEIS to ensure there is an open dialogue about standards in trade. We hold regular stakeholder updates to ensure that standards makers are kept informed of the latest changes and to help inform BSI views when presenting to government.  

Please read below for more information on BSI’s trade policy position.

BSI has worked with 28 of our key stakeholders - representing UK businesses, consumers, professional institutions, standards users and others - to produce a statement supporting the strategic importance of international standards for the UK as a global trading nation.

Our stakeholder group stresses that international standards are a cornerstone of the WTO rules-based trading system. They help to create a common language for British businesses and their trading partners, deliver confidence in products and services for UK consumers and facilitate and simplify regulatory compliance. The UK, through BSI, is a leading influencer in the development of international standards; this helps to maximize UK’s soft power globally.

We welcome the opportunity to continue to work closely with government to enable the effective use of international standards in trade agreements that will bring opportunities for the whole of the UK.

The statement includes three recommendations to government to help enhance trade policy through the strategic use of international standards. We recommend that government:

1. Make full use of the strategic national value of the UK’s role in the international standards system comprising ISO and IEC and the European regional organizations.
2. Ensure that representative organizations are included in the Expert Trade Advisory Groups and the consultation process to support the development of trade policy and trade deals.
3. Involve BSI, as the national standards body, in the development of negotiating objectives related to technical barriers to trade and in the negotiation of trade deals.

The UK, through its businesses and consumers, has a central role in developing standards used across the globe via the international standards system. Companies that use standards are more likely to export as international standards help reduce barriers to market access and consumers have more confidence in the products they purchase. We explore in our latest report ‘International Standards make a global trading nation’ the 6 key factors of standards and trade in the UK.

1. International standards are a passport to trade
2. The UK occupies a strong leadership position in shaping international standards
3. UK businesses achieve competitive advantage through leadership and use of international standards  
4. International standards support consumer protection
5. The European regional standards system supports trade with the UK’s largest market

International standards are a strategic asset for UK trade policy and ambitious trade agreements