HMG is due to make fully independent representations at the WTO from 1st January 2021. Ahead of that, it has asked every country in the WTO to approve its General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) schedule – and every country duly has, bar one. A Freedom of Information request confirms that Russia has refused to sign off the UK’s schedule, saying it “looks forward to entering into consultations with the UK in order to reach a satisfactory resolution to this matter”. Given that Russia may be equally content with causing disruption or gaining concessions, there are strong incentives to quickly remove this spanner from the works.