Free trade agreements of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has concluded trade deals with counties and countries across the globe and is well known for promoting free trade and a Global Britain.[1][2]

Trade Agreements of The United Kingdom

Map of the countries the UK (in red) has negotiated trade agreements with (dark green), the countries discussing rolled over agreements (light green), the agreements under discussion (purple), and those in pre-discussion (yellow).
Agency overview
Agency executive
Parent departmentDepartment for International Trade

The United Kingdom's chief trade negotiator represents all four part of the UK, England Scotland, Wales & N.Ireland in any trade negotiations alongside a team of other negotiators who will be given their negotiation mandate by the United Kingdom Government.[3][4]

The UK Negotiating team will also consult with Strategic Trade Advisory Group (S.T.A.G) throughout the negotiations. S.T.A.G consists of industry representatives, experts and academics through throughout the UK, who advise the negotiating team on the best course of action and ensure that the voice of the devolved nations are heard.[5][6]

The Department of International trade will also consult the Agriculture and Trade Commission (ATC), who will be responsible for advising on food standards in any free trade Agreement to ensure that the UK Agriculture sector remains competitive.[7]

Competence & Ratification Process

Competence within the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom Government has reserved powers over matters regarding international trade and agreements as well as the right and power to legislate over any matter due to parliamentary sovereignty, However United Kingdom Government will normally seek a consent motion from the Devolved Parliament (s) when areas within Agreement (s) collide with matters of devolved competence regardless of their ability to legislate,

Ratification

The responsibility for concluding treaties involving the UK lies with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. This remains the case even when the negotiation of the treaty is led by another government department.

The FCO's Legal Advisers and Treaty Section:

  • must be given the opportunity to comment on the drafts of all treaties under negotiation;
  • will advise on the form and substance of the treaty, though not substance which is technical and of which the other government department is the expert;
  • will advise on related matters such as the production of Full Powers and Instruments of Ratification;
  • will produce original signature copies of treaties and advise on the treaty signing ceremony;
  • will arrange for the treaty to be published and laid before Parliament;
  • is responsible for the registration of these treaties with the UN, allowing their subsequent publication in the United Nations Treaty Series; and
  • will transfer of the treaties to the National Archives for preservation.

Our specific guidance on practice and procedure provides further information, including the procedures for ratification under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaG Act) 2010.

UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories

Unless expressly authorized to do so by HMG in the UK, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories do not have the authority to become a party to treaties in their own right. The UK must extend the territorial scope of its ratification of treaties to include them. This is normally done either at the time of ratification, or at some later date.[8]

Signed UK Free Trade Agreements

Near twenty agreements with 53 countries use a mutatis mutandis concept. Among them are huge economies — by nominal GDP — such as South Korea, Switzerland, Israel and Norway.

No Nation (s) No of nations represented Signed Treaty number Treaty Text & Citation
1 Andean 3 May 15, 2019Misc 22 (2019) [9] UK - Andean FTA
2 CARIFORUM (Trade Bloc) 15 March 22, 2019Misc 18 (2019) [10]UK - CARIFORUM FTA
3 Central America 6 July 18, 2019Misc 32 (2019) [11]UK - Central America FTA
4 Chile 1 January 30, 2019Misc 2 (2019) [12]UK - Chile FTA
5 Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) (Trade Bloc)[13] 6 January 31, 2019Misc 4 (2019) [14]UK - ESA FTA
6 Faroe Islands 1 January 31, 2019Denmark 1 (2019) [15]UK - Faroe Islands (Denmark) FTA
7 Georgia 1 October 21, 2019Georgia 1 (2019) [16]UK - Georgia FTA
8 Iceland & Norway 2 April 2, 2019Misc 17 (2019) [17]UK - Iceland & Norway FTA
9 Israel 1 February 18, 2019Israel 1 (2019) [18]UK - Israel FTA
10 Jordan 1 November 5, 2019Jordan 1 (2019) [19]UK - Jordan FTA
11 Kosovo 1 December 3, 2019Kosovo 1 (2019) UK - Kosovo FTA
12 Lebanon 1 September 19, 2019Lebanon 1 (2019) [20]UK - Lebanon FTA
13 Lichtenstein 1 February 11, 2019Liechtenstein 1 (2019) UK - Liechtenstein FTA
14 Morocco 1 October 26, 2019Morocco 1 (2019) [21]UK - Morocco FTA
15 Pacific States (Fiji and Papua New Guinea) 2 March 14, 2019Misc 15 (2019) [22]UK - Pacific States FTA
16 Palestine Authority 1 February 18, 2019Misc 14 (2019) [23]UK - Palatine Authority FTA
17 South Korea 1 August 22, 2019Korea 1 (2019) [24]UK - South Korea FTA
18 Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique (SACUM) (Trade Bloc) 6 October 9, 2019Misc 34 (2019) [25]UK -SACU & Mozambique FTA
19 Switzerland 1 February 11, 2019Switzerland 4 (2019) [26]UK - Switzerland FTA
20 Tunisia 1 October 4, 2019Tunisia 1 (2019) [27]UK - Tunisia FTA
Total no of counties the UK has trade deals with 53

Mutual Recognition Agreements
No Nation (s) Signed Citation (s)
1 Australia January 18, 2019 [28]UK - Australia MRA
2 New Zealand January 21, 2019 [29]UK - New Zealand MRA
3 United States of America February 14, 2019 [30]UK - USA MRA

Trade Agreements Still In Discussion (Continuity of Existing EU Arrangements)
No Nation (s) Agreement Status
1 Albania (Western Balkans) Discussions Ongoing
2 Algeria Discussions Ongoing
3 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Western Balkans) Discussions Ongoing
4 Cameroon (Central Africa) Discussions Ongoing
5 Canada Discussions Ongoing
6 Côte d'Ivoire Discussions Ongoing
7 East African Community (EAC) Discussions Ongoing
8 Egypt Discussions Ongoing
9 Ghana Discussions Ongoing
10 Mexico Discussions Ongoing
11 Moldova Discussions Ongoing
12 Montenegro (Western Balkans) Discussions Ongoing
13 North Macedonia (Western Balkans) Discussions Ongoing
14 Serbia (Western Balkans) Discussions Ongoing
15 Ukraine Discussions Ongoing

[31]

Agreements Currently Been Negotiated (Global)
No Nation (s) No of Nations Represented (s) Citation (s) Status Dedicated page Comment
1. European Union 27 [32] Negotiations Ongoing
2. Japan 1 [33] Negotiations Ongoing UK - Japan FTA Agreement could provide continuity of the EU trade deal. As the EU, it could provide no tariff import for Japanese cars. In addition it could provide digital service. It should be secured end of July so that it works as soon as the transition period ends[34]. Tax reduction for cars could be in 2026 like for the Jefta agreement applicable since the Brexit.[35]
3.. United States of America 1 [36] Negotiations Ongoing UK - US FTA Agreement is not expected in 2020.[37]
4. Australia 1 [38] Negotiations Ongoing UK - Australia FTA
5. New Zealand 1 [39] Negotiations Ongoing UK - New Zealand FTA
7. Kenya 1 [40] Negotiations Ongoing
8 CPTTP 11 [41] Negotiations Ongoing UK CPTTP FTA Accession
9 Turkey 1 [42] Negotiations Ongoing
10. UAE 1 [43] Negotiations Ongoing
11. GCC 6 [44] Negotiations Ongoing

Interested Countries due to begin negotiation (Global)
No Nation (s) No of Nations Represented Citation Status Comments
1. India 1 [45] Pre - Negotiations
2. Mercosur 4 [46] Pre - Negotiations
3. Norway 1 [47] Pre - Negotiations Negotiations started in July 2020 and are negotiated together with Norway's EEA/European Free Trade Association partner countries Iceland and Liechtenstein, althouth it will not provide same benefits than the EEA. Norway has yet negotiated an agreement with the UK in 2019, in case of no deal.[48]

Interested Countries (no followup)(Global)
No Nation (s) Citation No of Nations Represented Status
1. Canada [49] 1 No further progress made

UK top 10 trading partners
Export and import markets for goods and services 1 in 2019, not seasonally adjusted
Exports Imports
Rank Trade Partner Brtish
Billion
Pounds		 % of Total Rank Trade Partner Brtish
Billion
Pounds		 Total Export
1  USA[50] 138.7 19.9% 1  USA 91.6 12.6%
2 Germany ( EU member) 58.6 8.4% 2 Germany ( EU member) 78.0 10.8%
3 France ( EU member) 42.8 6.1% 3 Netherlands ( EU member) 51.1 7.1%
4 Netherlands ( EU member) 42.8 6.1% 4  China 49.0 6.8%
5 Ireland (  EU member) 38.3 5.5% 5 France ( EU member) 47.5 6.6%
6  China 31.4 4.5% 6 Spain ( EU member) 34.1 4.7%
7   Switzerland 25.0 3.6% 7 Belgium ( EU member) 28.6 3.9%
8 Italy ( EU member) 21.4 3.1% 8 Italy ( EU member) 26.6 3.7%
9 Spain ( EU member) 19.3 2.8% 9 Ireland ( EU member) 24.5 3.4%
10 Belgium ( EU member) 18.5 2.6% 10 Norway (EEA member) 17.8 2.5%
EU 300.3 43.0% EU 372.2 51.4%
Non EU 398.3 57.0% Non EU 352.3 48.6%
World 698.6 100% World 724.5 100%
Historically, WTO imports and exports are based on the rule of origin, while EU imports/exports are based on single market statistics

The figures above cover up to 2019 only.[51]

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See also

References
  1. "Post-Brexit Britain to be 'champions of free trade', Dominic Raab says". ITV News. February 7, 2020.
  2. Fox, Liam (January 23, 2019). "Global Britain and the economy". Gov.UK.
  3. "Department for International Trade". Gov.UK.
  4. Civil Service World (October 4, 2019). "From Austria to New Zealand, via Birmingham – meet the Department for International Trade's civil servants". CivilServiceWorld.com.
  5. "Strategic Trade Advisory Group". Gov.UK.
  6. Digby, Ben (April 10, 2019). "What the new Strategic Trade Advisory Group means for members". CBI.
  7. Media, Global Ag (July 10, 2020). "UK creates Trade and Agriculture Commission amid trade negotiations". The Poultry Site.
  8. "UK Treaties". Gov.UK. November 7, 2019.
  9. Hollingbery, George (May 15, 2019). "UK signs trade continuity agreement with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru". Gov.UK.
  10. Hollingbery, George (22 March 2019). "UK signs trade continuity agreement with Caribbean countries". Gov.UK.
  11. "UK and Central America sign continuity agreement". Gov.UK. July 18, 2019.
  12. Fox, Liam (January 30, 2019). " UK and Chile sign continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  13. including THE UNION OF COMOROS, THE REPUBLIC OF MADAGASCAR, THE REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS, THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES, THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA, THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE
  14. Hollingbery, George (January 31, 2019). "UK signs Eastern and Southern Africa trade continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  15. Eustace, George (February 1, 2019). "UK and Faroe Islands sign trade continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  16. Truss, Elizabeth (October 21, 2019). "UK and Georgia sign trade continuity and strategic cooperation agreement". Gov.UK.
  17. "UK, Norway and Iceland sign trade continuity agreement ". Gov.UK. April 2, 2019.
  18. Fox, Liam (February 18, 2019). "UK and Israel sign trade continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  19. Chaplin, Chloe (27 January 2020). "Brexit trade deals: the agreements in place already, from Chile to the Faroe Islands". INews.com.
  20. Burns, Conor (September 19, 2019). "UK and Lebanon sign trade continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  21. Burns, Conor (October 26, 2019). "UK and Morocco sign continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  22. "UK and Pacific Islands sign trade continuity agreement". Gov.UK. March 14, 2019.
  23. "UK and Palestinian Authority sign trade continuity agreement". Gov.UK. February 18, 2019.
  24. Truss, Elizabeth (August 21, 2019). "UK and Korea to sign trade continuity deal to ensure businesses are ready to trade post-Brexit". Gov.UK.
  25. Truss, Elizabeth (September 11, 2019). "UK agreed trade continuity with 6 African nations". Gov.UK.
  26. Fox, Liam (February 11, 2019). "UK and Switzerland sign trade continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  27. Burns, Conor (October 4, 2019). "UK and Tunisia sign continuity agreement". Gov.UK.
  28. "UK and Australia agree continuity of Mutual Recognition Agreement". Gov.UK. January 18, 2019.
  29. Fox, Liam (January 22, 2019). "UK and New Zealand to continue Mutual Recognition Agreement as PM Jacinda Ardern visits UK". Gov.UK.
  30. "UK and USA agree to continue Mutual Recognition Agreement". Gov.UK. February 14, 2019.
  31. "Existing UK trade agreements with non-EU countries". Gov.UK. March 29, 2020.
  32. "The EU and Britain start negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal". The Economist. Mar 1, 2020.
  33. Truss, Elizabeth (12 May 2020). "Liz Truss kick-starts trade negotiations with Japan  ". Gov.UK.
  34. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/29/uk-close-to-securing-post-brexit-continuity-trade-deal-with-japan
  35. https://www.leblogauto.com/2020/08/japon-uk-suppression-taxes-auto-brexit.html
  36. Truss, Elizabeth (May 5, 2020). "UK and US start trade negotiations". Gov.UK.
  37. https://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/uk-and-norway-to-open-trade-pact-talks-amid-warnings-of-new-trade-barriers/
  38. Leeuwen, Hans van (Jun 17, 2020). "Australia kicks off talks for trade deal with post-Brexit Britain". Financial Review.
  39. McCullough, Yvette (June 17, 2020). "NZ begins free trade talks for 'comprehensive' deal with UK". Radio New Zealand.
  40. "Uhuru and Boris agree to start post Brexit trade negotiations". The Standard. July 4, 2020.
  41. "UK government formally announces a road map to CPTPP accession in June policy paper". Lexology. June 30, 2020.
  42. (1) England (2) Payne, (1) Andrew (2) Sebastian (July 10, 2020). "Turkish foreign minister says trade deal with UK 'very close'". Financial Times.
  43. Buller, Alicia (Feb 12, 2019). "Britain starts talks with UAE for post-Brexit trade deal". Arabian Business.
  44. (1) Nanji (2) McElroy, (2) Noor (2) Damien (May 16, 2018). "Post-Brexit trade talks between UK-GCC to resume 'soon', says minister". The National.ae.
  45. Basu, Nayanima (July 10, 2020). "India, UK to soon launch talks for free-trade pact, ministers to meet virtually in July-end". The Print.
  46. (1) Viga Gaier (2) Teixeira (3) Maler, (1) Rodrigo (2) Marcelo (3) Sandra (January 31, 2020). "Brazil to seek a Mercosur-UK trade deal similar of agreement with EU". Reuters.
  47. Perring, Rebecca (Jul 18, 2020). "Brexit victory: Norway rushes to sign post-Brexit trade deal with UK". Express.
  48. https://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/uk-and-norway-to-open-trade-pact-talks-amid-warnings-of-new-trade-barriers/
  49. McGregor, Janyce (December 14, 2019). "Now that Brexit's a go, how about that Canada-U.K. trade deal?". CBC.
  50. including Puerto Rico
  51. "Trade and Investment Core Statistics Book" (PDF). Gov.UK. May 20, 2020.
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