- A draft of the pact and its eleven proposed chapters indicated that negotiations would begin in late 2023
President Joe Biden has quietly shelved plans for a trade deal with Britain ahead of the 2024 election after Senate disagreements over its impact on America.
A draft of the pact and its eleven proposed chapters prepared earlier this year by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) indicated that negotiations would begin by the end of 2023.
However, after facing several headwinds, the deal is not expected to be put into practice, two people briefed by the British and US governments respectively told POLITICO, both speaking on condition of anonymity.
“I don’t think we’ll see this happen again,” said one person briefed on the proposed negotiations.
The timeline for discussions on the proposal stated that negotiations would be completed before the US and UK elections next year.
US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a joint press conference at the White House in Washington DC, on June 8, 2023
Joe Biden. A draft overview of the pact and its eleven proposed chapters prepared earlier this year by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) indicated that negotiations would begin by the end of 2023 (File Photo)
The agreement was closer in substance to the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) – which focuses on regulation and non-tariff barriers – than to a full trade deal.
But in November, IPEF talks collapsed after senior Democrats spoke out against the Biden administration’s negotiations on trade provisions that lack enforceable labor standards.
The British government has long wanted a trade deal with the US as a solid post-Brexit prize, the outlet reports.
The draft was seen as a roadmap to ultimately reach a comprehensive deal.
Business and Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch presented the deal in April during Biden’s trip to Belfast, Bloomberg reported, to revive discussions that first began under the Trump administration.
