Plans for a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom have been shelved indefinitely by President Joe Biden. An 11-chapter draft agreement had previously been prepared by the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) office, with negotiations for a deal expected to commence before the close of 2023. American and British government sources have both confirmed that these will not go ahead after pushback from the Democrat-led Senate and Biden himself.
A spokesman for Sen. Ron Wyden, chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, said: “[his] view that the United States and United Kingdom should not make announcements until a deal that benefits Americans is achievable.” He also complained the USTR had not involved Congress in the process enough.
There was also some pushback on a trade deal from the British side. In particular, the British government is concerned about allowing chemical-washed and hormone-treaded American meat into the British market.
The U.S. is the UK’s top partner for both imports and exports, and the two countries are each other’s top foreign investors. A trade deal was impossible prior to Brexit, however, as European Union (EU) membership rules say the bloc controls member-states’ trade policy.
Former President Donald Trump was keen to secure a wide-ranging trade deal with Britain, but the country’s governing “Conservative” Party slow-walked the break with the EU, having been caught off guard by the 2016 Brexit vote.
Biden, an avowedly anti-British career politician, has been much less keen on negotiating a deal in the interests of both nations.
