USTR Says UK FTA Possibility Still Under Review

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that she's still evaluating how a free trade agreement with Great Britain "could support the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader Build Back Better agenda," in a readout of her first meeting, on Sept. 20, with the new top trade official for the United Kingdom, Anne-Marie Trevelyan. Tai said she does want to deepen bilateral trade ties with the U.K. The readout also said there needs to be a durable solution to implement the trade protocols between Northern Ireland, which is technically no longer in the European Union, and Ireland, so that peace in Northern Ireland is preserved. As part of Brexit, the U.K. agreed to allow Northern Ireland to stay in the Customs Union of the EU so that the soft border between Northern Ireland and Ireland could remain, but that means that part of the U.K. is essentially a foreign country for trade purposes, so the U.K. has tried to find wiggle room in the treatment of Northern Ireland goods.

Tai and Trevelyan discussed the upcoming G-7 trade ministerial, "U.S.-UK bilateral trade issues, and agreed to continue the productive conversations between the two countries to address the shared challenges posed by the market distorting practices of China and other non-market economies," the summary said. The UK did not put out its own summary by press time.