US and Britain could sign sector-by-sector trade deals, says Bolton [View all]
Source: The Guardian
US and Britain could sign sector-by-sector trade deals, says Bolton
After meeting with PM, Trump security adviser talks up post-Brexit relationship
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
Mon 12 Aug 2019 20.46 BST Last modified on Mon 12 Aug 2019 21.01 BST
Donald Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, has said Britain and the US could sign sector-by-sector free-trade deals prior to a comprehensive trade deal as a way of helping the UK cope with the consequences of leaving the EU on 31 October without a deal.
Bolton said the mini-deals, focusing on areas such as the car and other industries, could be negotiated quickly, and would receive overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress. He was speaking after meeting Boris Johnson and senior British officials in London on Monday.
The ultimate end result is a comprehensive trade agreement covering all trading goods and services, Bolton said. But to get to that you could do it sector by sector, and you can do it in a modular fashion. In other words, you can carve out some areas where it might be possible to reach a bilateral agreement very quickly, very straightforwardly.
In other areas, such as financial services, he said deals may be more difficult to reach.
It is the first time the US has suggested mini-deals being concluded before a comprehensive agreement, and underlines the USs determination to help the UK as it faces the potential consequences of trade barriers being raised with the European Union, the UKs largest export market. Previously, the US has resisted sectoral deals with the EU.
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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/12/us-and-britain-could-sign-sector-by-sector-trade-deals-says-bolton