UK agrees trade deal with Australia

UK agrees trade deal with Australia

The UK has secured a trade deal with Australia eliminating tariffs on all UK goods and boosting jobs and businesses across the country, in the first major trade deal negotiated from scratch by the Government since we left the EU.

The Department for International Trade have put together a guide on how the East Midlands could benefit from an Australia trade deal, download it here.

The main elements of the deal were agreed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a meeting in Downing Street on Monday 14 June 2021. A final Agreement in Principle will be published in the coming days.

The leaders reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the UK and Australia during their discussion and agreed to work closely together on defence, technology collaboration and tackling climate change – including through a future Clean Tech Partnership.

The UK exported £5.4 billion worth of services, including £1.4bn of insurance and pension services and £780m of financial services, to Australia in 2020. Red tape and bureaucracy will be torn down for more than 13,000 small and medium sized businesses across the UK who already export goods to Australia, with quicker export times.

The new Free Trade Agreement means iconic British products like cars, Scotch whisky, biscuits and ceramics will be cheaper to sell into Australia, boosting UK industries that employ 3.5 million people across the country. The UK-Australia trade relationship was worth £13.9 billion last year and is set to grow under the deal, creating opportunities for businesses and producers in every part of the UK.

British farmers will be protected by a cap on tariff-free imports for 15 years, using tariff rate quotas and other safeguards. We are also supporting agricultural producers to increase their exports overseas, including to new markets in the Indo-Pacific.

Under the agreement, Brits under the age of 35 will be able to travel and work in Australia more freely, opening exciting opportunities for young people.

Click here for more information.

William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, says: 

“Businesses will welcome this Agreement in Principle as a step forward. However, there is a long way to go before the signing and implementation of a free trade deal. It should also be pointed out that trade with Australia represents only around 1.2% of the UK’s total, so whilst a deal will have welcome benefits it will not offset the ongoing issues with trade to the European Union. 

“Today’s agreement opens the door to a free trade agreement in force next year with lower tariffs, modern rules of origin for certain manufactured goods, customs facilitation measures, mutual recognition of qualifications, a labour mobility scheme, and stronger market access for services between the UK and Australia. 

“Businesses remained concerned about the lack of opportunities to properly scrutinise trade deals including this one. There needs to be more in-depth industry consultation, particularly in sectors considered sensitive, to better analyse UK’s offensive and defensive strategic interests and the impact on other agreements. 

“Ultimately it is businesses not governments that trade, and this deal with Australia needs to be complemented by providing practical, on the ground, support to help firms maximise the new opportunities the agreement will bring. 

“We urge the government to engage closely with businesses over the coming months on how to get the most value out of the final agreement. Chambers of Commerce stand ready to work with government to ensure that the benefits of this agreement are felt by firms as widely as possible.” 

“We urge the government to engage closely with businesses over the coming months on how to get the most value out of the final agreement."

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