In the “near to medium term,” a new trade agreement with the United States is improbable, according to Liz Truss.
She is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where she will meet with Vice President Joe Biden.
Before Brexit, the British government had promised a trade agreement with the United States by 2022.
Labour stated that the absence of a trade agreement with the United States “costs billions in lost potential trade opportunities and retards progress.”
Before her travel to the United States, Ms. Truss stated, “There are currently no negotiations with the United States, and I have no expectation that they will begin in the near to medium term.”
In May, the United Kingdom and the state of Indiana signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
The United States is the United Kingdom’s largest individual trading partner, accounting for £1 of every £6 in UK commerce.
The government’s post-Brexit crown jewel had been a trade agreement that would facilitate trade between the two countries.
However, these expectations were dashed in the first months of Joe Biden’s presidency. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Trade Secretaries Liz Truss and Anne-Marie Trevelyan acknowledged that the United States had other priorities. President Biden emphasized the importance of maintaining American jobs. Resuming debates on free trade has not been on the agenda.
Instead, U.S.-U.K. conversations centered on collaboration over China and Ukraine.
Why did Liz Truss decide to bring this up today? Perhaps to enter first and indicate that it is the United Kingdom’s decision.
But also to convey that any threat by the United States to halt negotiations unless the United Kingdom renounces the ability to dissolve the Northern Ireland Protocol would be a bluff.
For it is Brexit itself – a policy that President Barack Obama, when Joe Biden was his vice president, said would put the United Kingdom at the back of the line for a deal – that is likely to have played a significant role in the United States’ refusal to return to the bargaining table.
Nick Thomas Symonds, the shadow international trade secretary for Labour, stated: “The acknowledgment that a trade deal with the United States is impossible is dreadful news for the British economy.
“There is no doubt that the prime minister is responsible for this problem, as he ruined the United Kingdom’s worldwide reputation as foreign and international trade secretary.
This situation is embarrassing for Liz Truss.
Ms. Truss stated that she will use her UN address to galvanize support for Ukraine and to stop international energy dependence on Russia.
Ms. Truss said that her government will meet or surpass the £2.3 billion in aid handed to Ukraine’s “inspirational” forces over the past seven months.
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s soldiers on February 24, only the United States has supplied more military help to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In her address, Ms. Truss will cite the recent success of Ukraine’s counteroffensives as evidence of what the country is capable of doing with Western support.
Ms. Truss stated, “Ukraine’s victories in recent weeks have been inspiring.” These courageous individuals have repeatedly defied skeptics and demonstrated what they are capable of when given the necessary military, economic, and political support.
This is Ms. Truss’s first international tour as prime minister.
Political activity and government business have been suspended until the conclusion of the Queen’s burial, which Ms. Truss, along with other politicians, foreign dignitaries, and members of the Royal Family, attended.
She will meet with foreign leaders, including Vice President Biden and French President Macron.
Before she met with Mr. Macron, Ms. Truss stated that she desired a positive relationship with France and that there are several problems on which they must collaborate.
During the Conservative leadership campaign, she had previously declined to classify Mr. Macron as “friend or foe.”
Prepare for the return of politics with a bang.
Families, businesses, and the nation confront major risks, including skyrocketing prices, debilitating gasoline expenses, and the possibility of a recession.
Now that the funeral has concluded, though, the arguments will restart, and the calls for action will be loud.
The prime minister is currently on her first official international tour.
It will result in the return of a more conciliatory tone to the political discourse – at least for the first few hours – rather than an immediate escalation of domestic conflict.
