US wants trade talks as soon as Britain’s free
HOPES of striking a swift new trade deal with the United States were boosted yesterday after Washington confirmed it wants to start talks as soon as Britain “is ready” after Brexit.
President Donald Trump’s trade representative Robert Lighthizer formally notified Congress: “We intend to initiate negotiations with the UK as soon as it is ready after it exits the European Union.”
He said an “ambitious” deal could further expand the two nations’ trade and investment relationship “by removing existing goods and services tariff, and non-tariff trade barriers, and by developing cutting-edge obligations for emerging sectors where US and UK innovators and entrepreneurs are most competitive”.
The UK cannot formally open talks on new trade deals until it has left the EU, but Mr Lighthizer noted that British International Trade Secretary Liam Fox had formed a working group last year to pave the way for negotiations.
The US was “committed to concluding these negotiations with timely and substantive results for US consumers, businesses, farmers, ranchers and workers”, he said.
A British Government spokesman said: “The UK-US Trade and Investment Working Group has been exploring ways to boost trade and investment ties, including laying the groundwork for a future Free Trade Agreement, and the talks have been positive.”
Mr Fox last night said the annual value of UK exports had risen by £111billion a year since the 2016 EU referendum. He said: “For Britain to fulfil its whole potential we must access all the available global markets.”