Potential free trade between the UK and U.S. post-Brexit

Last week I was in Washington D.C. taking the temperature of U.S. businesses and government on a possible free trade agreement between the UK and U.S. after Brexit. I also spent 24 hours in Ottawa, talking to the Canadian government and business community about what it’s like to negotiate on trade with the U.S.

I came back with three overall reflections:

For businesses both sides of the pond, negotiations start with Europe

The key message from the U.S. business groups I met was that American businesses want the UK to strike a deal with the E.U. The need for a “negotiated settlement”, “smooth landing” and continued close alignment on rules and regulations between the UK and Europe were a constant feature of these conversations.

Interestingly, while there is clear support from American business for making trade easier with the UK, the businesses I spoke to were equally clear that this mustn’t be at the expense of the UK’s future trade w