Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the United States.

The UK is committed to negotiating an ambitious free trade agreement with the United States as soon as we have left the European Union.

The President and Prime Minister have made clear on a number of occasions their shared commitment to an ambitious, wide-ranging free trade deal that reflects the strength of our bilateral relationship. We welcome the publication by the US Administration of their negotiating objectives for a free trade agreement with the UK as well as the President’s positive public comments during the recent state visit.

Although we cannot enter into negotiations with the US until we leave the EU, there is still much that we can do to lay the groundwork for an ambitious deal. This includes:

Completing our domestic UK processes so that we are ready to start negotiations;

Continuing our conversations with the Office of the US Trade Representative to prepare for live negotiations. These conversations are well advanced, including through the UK/US Trade and Investment Working Group, which has now met five times since it was established in July 2017. The most recent Working Group in November 2018 involved over 100 officials on each side.

In parallel, work has taken place between our governments to ensure continuity of trade with the US, notably the UK-US Mutual Recognition Agreement, the UK-US ‘Open Skies’ Air Services Arrangement, and Wine and Spirits Agreements signed in recent months.