UK looks to ink post-Brexit trade deals with individual US states
The UK will reportedly ink a trade deal with individual US states, in a bid to get the ball rolling on a more ambitious, country-wide, agreement.
It follows president Joe Biden saying that the post-Brexit pact was not a priority for the US, which has reportedly prompted the government to go straight to states such as California and Indiana.
“From York to New York, Birmingham in the Midlands to Birmingham Alabama – we want to turbo boost UK and US businesses,” a source from the Department for International Trade told The Sun.
“When you look at the numbers, the wins on offer by bagging trade agreements with individual states are massive.
“California’s economy alone is larger than the economy of the whole of France.”
Internation trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has sent her right hand Penny Morduant to the US in a bid to woo states into making deals with the UK.
Morduant has so far spoken with politicians, beureucrats and business leaders from California, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
A DIT spokesperson said: “We already have a thriving economic relationship with the US, our single largest trading partner, but there’s a wealth of opportunities to build even deeper ties at both a federal and state level.
“We want to make it easier and cheaper for UK and US businesses to work together. Whether it is a recognition of professional qualifications, increased uptake of state-level procurement contacts, or closer ties between key sectors – we are exploring ways to help businesses take full advantage of these opportunities, benefitting communities across the UK and the US.”