[CTC] UK wants US trade deal bloody damn quick

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Politico Morning Trade

U.K. WANTS U.S. TRADE DEAL BLOODY DAMN QUICK: The United Kingdom and the United States have a “shared ambition” to sign a free trade agreement before the Nov. 3 election, Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner for North America Antony Phillipson said Thursday at a Washington International Trade Association event. 

Don’t underestimate: Phillipson acknowledged many people are skeptical the two sides can complete a negotiation in such a breathtakingly short time. But he noted the U.S. and U.K. had extensive discussions over the contours of a future trade pact well before the first round of formal talks last month. In addition, work is continuing in between the formal negotiating sessions. 

“I think we're running at this very, very fast in full partnership with our U.S. colleagues,” he said ahead of another formal round of talks that begin Monday. 

Another sign: USTR gave Congress 180 days’ notice on May 6 of any expected changes to U.S. trade remedy laws, in accordance with the requirements of the 2015 trade promotion authority law <https://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f94595de0668a7841c6aed943de17f0593187b255a48d65e8bb3e9426ddd909fb340fbebdd77bfd1208097d740d1ab5c>, a Senate aide said. That would allow President Donald Trump to sign the agreement just before voters go to polls, assuming another 90-day notification requirement is met by Aug. 5.

Digital trade: The two sides want a “future proofed” agreement with cutting-edge provisions in areas like digital trade, data flows and intellectual property protections, Phillipson said. 

“These are gonna be the key drivers in our view of the future of the global economy. The U.K and the U.S. I think, already have very high standards in these areas, but there's a real opportunity for us to take that to even greater heights and then roll that discussion into a plurilateral and global forum.”

GDPR membership could be changed: The U.K. is currently part of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which is a source of friction between the U.S. and the EU. 

Phillipson indicated the U.K. may be open to a different arrangement that allows companies to “exploit all of the opportunities of the digital economy, while consumers and individuals in our societies have the necessary reassurance about the protection of their privacy.”


Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826




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