Senators Urge UK Trade Talks

A bipartisan group of 19 senators, led by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., are asking the U.S. trade representative to get a deal done with the United Kingdom before the U.K. reaches its agreement with the European Union. The letter, made public Feb. 18, says the U.K. “has the greatest freedom of action now,” and getting a comprehensive agreement before the EU agreement will give the U.S. “the best possible chance of earning new access to U.K. markets.” They urged that the deal not be limited to a few sectors, and that he follow Congress's fast track negotiating objective.

What the U.K. can achieve with the U.S. is dependent on how close the post-Brexit U.K.-EU relationship is, and to what degree the U.K. preserves the same regulations that the EU has. American exporters, particularly agricultural exporters, see many of those regulations as non-tariff barriers rather than legitimate protection of public safety and health.

The U.K. has a much larger trading relationship with the EU than with the U.S., and it is negotiating with the EU already, but does intend to negotiate simultaneously with the U.S. later this year.