LONDON (AFP) – The United Kigndom (UK) government yesterday hailed what it said was its biggest trade deal since Brexit, as it formally signed a treaty to join a major Indo-Pacific bloc.
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch signed the accession protocol for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in New Zealand.
It makes the UK the first new member and first European nation to join the bloc since it was created in 2018.
The CPTPP comprises the UK’s fellow Group of Seven members Canada and Japan, plus long-standing allies Australia and New Zealand, alongside Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
Badenoch said in an interview with Sky News that the deal showed the UK “looking outwards towards the world”.
“We have a seat at the table in the fastest-growing region, countries are queuing up (to join),” she added.
“I’m really excited that we’ve brought home the biggest trade deal since we left the European Union (EU).”
London has been pushing a “Global Britain” strategy since formally severing nearly 50 years of ties with its nearest neighbours in the EU three years ago. Yesterday’s signing at a CPTPP meeting in Auckland was the formal confirmation of the agreement for UK membership after nearly two years of talks.
The government said it will cut tariffs for UK exports to CPTPP countries, which with UK membership will have a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of GBP12 trillion (USD15.7 trillion), and account for 15 per cent of global GDP.
It will give British businesses trade access to a market of more than 500 million people and access to the wider region, it added.
The agreement is expected to come into force in the second half of next year, after parliamentary scrutiny and legislation.
The UK already has trade deals with 10 of the 11 other CPTPP members, and analysts estimate the eventual economic boost to the country is GBP1.8 billion (USD2.2 billion) – a 0.08 per cent annual GDP increase.
The government’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, in April forecast that London’s Brexit deal with Brussels will reduce long-term productivity by four per cent compared to when the UK was a member.
A key UK government pledge to sign a prized free-trade deal with the United States (US) remains elusive, and Badenoch assessed the chances of securing one currently were “very low”.
“It all depends on the administration… Lots of countries have been looking to have a free trade agreement with the US, including us, but for now, they’ve said that’s not something that they want to do,” she added.
In the absence of a deal, the UK has signed trade agreements with US states North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana.
It is also seeking closer trading partnerships with US powerhouses California and Texas, and is in discussions with Utah and Oklahoma.
