Andrew Hale
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer left Washington last week. Making the case for a U.S.-U.K. Trade agreement should have been at the top of his agenda, but any discussion of trade was unfortunately sidelined. Under the Biden-Harris administration, U.S.-U.K. trade negotiations have ceased, along with all other trade negotiations with our allies.
Whereas the Trump administration aggressively used tariffs and impediments of trade to get better access to markets, or to achieve other diplomatic or and security ends, this White House has not even asked for Trade Promotion Authority from Congress, a legal requirement for any presidential administration to start formal trade negotiations with any country. Indeed, the Biden administration has ruled out almost all free trade agreements and market access discussions, leaving America with high barriers to trade that aren’t benefiting us in any tangible way.
Between 2017 and 2021, the Trump administration successfully negotiated multiple bilateral trade agreements, and it was in the process of negotiating 12 more free trade agreements in 2021, including with Switzerland and Kenya, which were close to completion.
The most strategic of all these was U.S.-U.K. free trade negotiation. President Trump himself has stated that a trade deal could increase trade with the U.K. “three to four, five times.” And patriots on both sides of the pond are frustrated that a deal hasn’t happened already.
Recently, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee—which has the sole jurisdiction over trade in Congress—stated to the Congressional Western Caucus that it is “maddening” that we do not have a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom. He gave the example that the U.S. cannot consume all the apples produced in the state of Washington, so we must export them. The U.S. is the largest exporter of food in the world and trade is vital for our economy. » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/trade/commentary/us-uk-free-trade-agreement-long-overdue-its-win-win-both-nations