When we asked the Department about its overarching trade strategy it told us that it aims to have “an open trade environment that promotes jobs and wages and reduces poverty”. The Department plans to achieve this through trade negotiations and the right protections against unfair practices at both bilateral and multilateral level, while promoting exports and investment.62 However, the NAO found that it was unclear how trade policy aligns with other policy objectives, and how any trade-offs required may impact on business associations, civil society and consumer groups. For example, it is unclear how the government’s international trade ambitions help to achieve domestic and wider policy objectives in areas including agriculture, the environment, international development and human rights.63 Evidence we received from Which? supported the NAO’s recommendation that the Department should set out an overarching trade strategy so that it is clear how its trade policy supports wider policy objectives and how it will use trade negotiations, alongside other levers to achieve its objectives.64