International trade policy briefing

Negotiating the negotiators

October has seen the CBI meet a number of senior government officials and ministers to discuss plans for future trade negotiations. Meetings have taken place with Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss; Second Permanent Secretary and Chief UK Trade Negotiator Crawford Falconer; Lead negotiator for UK-U.S. negotiations Oliver Griffiths and lead negotiator for negotiations with Japan, Australia and New Zealand Vivien Life.

In all of these meetings the CBI has been clear that business would like to see government take a “Europe first” approach to future negotiations, prioritising regulatory alignment with the EU and providing greater clarity for how trade offs between parallel negotiations will be managed.

To hear more about our work on the UK’s future trade policy contact CBI Head of Trade Policy (non-EU) Jonathan Brenton.

Looking East

The team has been very active in Asia this month, bringing members together in Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar as part of our ongoing project to identify top market access priorities for UK business globally. We picked up a similar theme in our submission to the International Trade Select Committee’s inquiry in to the UK’s future trading links with China and in a meeting with the Indian High Commissioner, Ms Ruchi Ghanashyam where we discussed our forthcoming report on how to improve the ease of doing business in India.

To get involved in our work in Asia contact either CBI head of China, Guy Drudrury or CBI head of India, Shehla Hasan.

Leading on the global stage

This month saw the CBI step up its  commitment to representing British business on the global stage, taking the first ever CBI business delegation to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Public Forum, representing UK business at the OECD Trade Committee, and CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn doing a day trip to Geneva to meet a group of WTO Ambassadors alongside Julian Braithwaite, the UK’s Permanent Representative at the WTO. In a meeting with the United States Ambassador to the WTO Carolyn conveyed our disappointed at the recent tariffs introduced by the U.S. and called for a negotiated settlement with the European Union (EU) as soon as possible.

At the WTO Public Forum our new report on how trade policy can support sustainable development also made a splash, reinforcing the UK’s global leadership position on climate change and international development.

For more information on CBI work on multilateral trade please contact Jessica Dickinson.

What to expect in the month ahead

The CBI’s inaugural Trade Conference

On 10 December the CBI will be hosting its first ever International Trade Conference, intended to support companies to prepare for trading conditions after Brexit. We’ll be joined by senior politicians, company CEOs, leading trade academics and over 30 ambassadors from some of the UK’s most important trading partners. CBI members get one complimentary place and you can sign up here.

Call for evidence

On 6 November CBI Trade Director Ben Digby will be giving oral evidence to the House of Commons International Trade Select Committee as part of their inquiry in to the quality of government support for exporters. To share your experiences of this support with the CBI ahead of the session please contact Will McGarrigle.

Representing UK business at the B20 summit

On 5 November the CBI will be hosting a roundtable meeting in partnership with ICC UK to look ahead to the B20 summit which is due to be held in October 2020. The B20 is the business dialogue that shadows the G20 meeting and provides a unique platform for businesses to shape the priorities and recommendations of the G20 process.

If you are interested in attending this roundtable please contact Ben thom.