The House of Lord’s EU Internal Market Sub-Committee has launched a short inquiry into the role of the level playing field in UK-EU negotiations, with a particular focus on state aid. As part of inquiry, the Sub-Committee intends to explore three related themes:

1. what level playing field commitments are and how they operate in EU free trade agreements, especially as regards social and labour rights and state aid
2. the EU’s approach to state aid rules and possible reforms at EU level
3. what opportunities are open to the UK in formulating its own state aid policy, in particular for supporting wider objectives such as “levelling up” the country and meeting climate targets.

The Sub-Committee expects to take oral evidence from late February through most of March, with a view to publishing a long letter to the Government in April.