Following its withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom began negotiations on several free trade agreements to remove or reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, both to establish new agreements and to replace previous EU trade agreements. Withdrawal ended 47 years of membership during which all its trading agreements were negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of the bloc. The UK did not actually withdraw from the European Single Market and the European Union Customs Union (and its trade agreements) until 31 December 2020.
These treaties are divided into two types of free trade agreements: continuity agreements and 'new' agreements. Continuity agreements, also named rollover agreements, use of a mutatis mutandis concept in order to quickly replicate the existing EU agreements, only having to call out those minor areas of differentiation. Most continuity treaties were provisionally applied, or through a "bridging mechanism", thus continuity was achieved.[1] Trade agreements negotiated after Brexit are termed 'new', or enhanced agreements, these agreements have been negotiated from scratch or have been renegotiated to enhance the deal since Brexit.[2]
As of May 2023[update], the United Kingdom has 38 active free trade agreements with nations and trade blocs, covering 99 countries and territories.[3][1] Five of these are 'new' trade agreements, such as with Australia and New Zealand.[4] The remaining 33 are continuity agreements. Furthermore, the UK has a customs union with its three Crown Dependencies.[5] The UK has further arrangements covering free trade with its 14 British Overseas Territories.[6]
In addition, the UK has also reached an agreement to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which it signed in July 2023 and is expected to join, after the 11 present members ratify, in 2024.[7]
The United Kingdom has only suspended negotiations for a trade deal on one occasion; the UK suspended negotiations for a post-Brexit Canada Free Trade Agreement on 25 January 2024.[8]
According to UK law the United Kingdom Parliament has the power to pass law in all policy areas.[9]
The UK's negotiating team will consult with its Strategic Trade Advisory Group throughout the negotiations.[10]
The responsibility for concluding treaties involving the UK lies with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. This remains the case even when the negotiation of the treaty is led by another government department.[11]
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office's legal advisers and Treaty Section:
Unless expressly authorised to do so by the United Kingdom government, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories do not have the authority to contract treaties in their own right. The UK must extend the territorial scope of its ratification of treaties to include them. This may be done either at the time of ratification, or at some later date.[11]
The following bilateral and plurilateral agreements are currently in effect. Signature and entry into force dates are as listed by the World Trade Organization.[3]
Nation(s) | No. of nations represented |
Signed | Effective | Coverage | Treaty | Mechanism[1] | Trade value (2023)[1][12] |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 5 February 2021 | 3 May 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £362m | [13][14] |
Andean Countries![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | 15 May 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £4,051m | [16][17] |
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1 | 16 December 2021 | 31 May 2023 | Goods & Services | New | Full ratification | £20,036m | [18][19] |
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1 | 28 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,029m | [20][21] |
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1 | 22 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services[b] | Continuity | Full ratification | £26,287m | [23][24] |
CARIFORUM![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
14 | 22 March 2019[d] | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Provisional application | £5,537m | [27][28] |
Central America![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
6 | 18 July 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £2,478m | [29][30] |
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1 | 30 January 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,804m | [31][32] |
Eastern and Southern Africa![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | 31 January 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £2,027m | [33][34] |
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1 | 5 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £4,659m | [35][36] |
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31[i] | 30 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | New | Full ratification | £823,100m | [37][38] |
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1 | 31 January 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,108m | [39][40] |
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1 | 21 October 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £500m | [41][42] |
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1 | 2 March 2021 | 5 March 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Provisional application | £1,188m | [43][44] |
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3 | 8 July 2021 | 1 December 2021 | Goods & Services | New | Provisional application | £41,537m[k] | [45][46] |
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1 | 18 February 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £6,137m | [47][48] |
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1 | 15 October 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £841m | [49][50] |
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1 | 23 October 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | New | Full ratification | £27,575m | [51][52] |
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1 | 5 November 2019 | 1 May 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,313m | [53][54] |
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1 | 8 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,427m | [55][56] |
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1 | 3 December 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £12m | [57][40] |
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1 | 19 September 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,131m | [58][59] |
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2 | 11 February 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £50,817m[m] | [61][62] |
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1 | 15 December 2020 | 1 June 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £6,599m | [63][64] |
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1 | 24 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,478m | [65][66] |
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1 | 26 October 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Provisional application | £3,524m | [67][68] |
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1 | 28 February 2022 | 31 May 2023 | Goods & Services | New | Full ratification | £3,100m | [69][70] |
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1 | 3 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Provisional application | £2,507m | [71][72] |
Pacific States![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
4 | 14 March 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Provisional application | £390m | [75][76] |
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1 | 18 February 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £38m | [77][78] |
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1 | 16 April 2021 | 20 May 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £1,018m | [79][80] |
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1 | 10 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity[p] | Full ratification | £22,327m | [83][84] |
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1 | 22 August 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Full ratification | £16,331m | [85][86] |
Southern Africa Customs Union and Mozambique![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
6 | 9 October 2019[q] | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £11,420m | [88][89] |
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1 | 4 October 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Full ratification | £693m | [90][91] |
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1 | 29 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | Provisional application | £25,817m | [92][93] |
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1 | 8 October 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity[r] | Full ratification | £1,523m | [96][97] |
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1 | 29 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | Provisional application | £5,859m | [98][99] |
The following agreements govern the United Kingdom's free trade with British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
Nation(s) | No. of nations represented |
Signed | Effective | Coverage | Treaty | Trade value (2023)[100] |
Comment | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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31 | 30 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | New | £823,100m | Trade with the UK is governed within the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, due to Akrotiri and Dhekelia remaining a part of the European Union customs union. | [101][102] |
Crown Dependencies Customs Union![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | 26 November 2018 | 9 December 2020 | Goods & Services | New | £13,153m | The United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies established a customs union which created a free trade area between the territories, and creates a common external tariff with other countries. | [103][5] |
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1 | 24 October 2019 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | Continuity | £7,236m | Trade with Gibraltar is governed under the 'Financial Services and Markets Act 2000', Gibraltar and the UK amended this act in order to continue the agreement they had in the European Economic Area. | [104] |
Overseas Territories![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
14 | 9 November 2020 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | Continuity | £10,591m | This arrangement acts as a continuity free trade agreement between 14 Overseas Territories and the UK. | [6][105] |
The United Kingdom is currently negotiating free trade agreements with the following countries and trade blocs:[4]
Nation (s) | No of nations represented |
Coverage | Treaty | Trade value (2023)[1][100] | Status | Progress | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | Goods | Continuity | £2,303m | Negotiations stagnated | A continuity trade agreement has been offered to Algeria; neither party has signed the agreement. | [106] |
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1 | Goods & Services | Continuity | £255m | Negotiations stagnated | A continuity trade agreement has been offered to Bosnia and Herzegovina; neither party has signed the agreement. | [107][106] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £26,287m | Negotiations suspended | Negotiations suspended on 25 January 2024 by the United Kingdom; the two sides have completed eight rounds of talks since 2022. | [108][109] |
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
11 | Goods & Services | New | £121,355m | Agreement signed on 16 July 2023 | Awaiting ratification of the UK's accession from member states.
|
[110][111] |
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1 | Goods | New | £12m | Negotiations stagnated | Negotiations opened on 27 January 2022. | [112][113] |
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6 | Goods & Services | New | £57,433m | Negotiations ongoing | Sixth round of negotiations concluded on 9 February 2024. | [114][115] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £38,978m | Negotiations ongoing | Fourteenth round of negotiations concluded on 15 March 2024. | [116][117] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £6,137m | Negotiations ongoing | Fifth round of negotiations concluded on 17 April 2024. | [118][119] |
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1 | Goods | New | £492m | Discussions ongoing | Trade consultation closed on 2 August 2023. | [120][121] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £6,599m | Negotiations ongoing | Third round of negotiations concluded on 19 May 2023. | [122][123] |
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1 | Goods & Services | Continuity | £156m | Negotiations stagnated | A continuity trade agreement has been offered to Montenegro; neither party has signed the agreement. | [107][106] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £18,349m | Negotiations ongoing | Second round of negotiations concluded on 22 March 2024. | [124][125] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £50,817m | Negotiations ongoing | Fourth round of negotiations concluded on 8 March 2024. | [126][127] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £6,026m | Discussions ongoing | Free Trade Agreement initiative launched on 21 March 2024. | [128][129] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £25,817m | Negotiations ongoing | Negotiations opened on 14 March 2024. | [130][131] |
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1 | Goods & Services | New | £310,840m | Negotiations stagnated | Fifth round of negotiations concluded on 30 October 2020. | [132][133] |
The following countries can accede to an existing plurilateral Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Kingdom.
Nation(s) | Trade agreement being joined |
Status | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
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CARIFORUM | Haiti will be covered by the CARIFORUM–UK Economic Partnership Agreement if they sign it and bring it into effect. | [134] |
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Eastern and Southern Africa | Out of the remaining COMESA members, Comoros, Madagascar, and Zambia have agreements in place allowing them to join the ESA–UK Economic Partnership Agreement:
|
[135][136] |
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Article 143 of the UK–Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement enables any other East African Community member to make an accession request to the UK–Kenya EPA Council. | [137][138] |
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Pacific States | The Pacific States–UK Economic Partnership Agreement states that 10 other Pacific nations are currently eligible to apply for accession.
|
[139] |
The following free trade agreements were previously active, however they have since been superseded or terminated. Signature, entry into force and obselete dates are as listed by the World Trade Organization.[3]
Nation(s) | No of nations represented |
Signed | Effective | Obsolete | Coverage | Note | Superseded by | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 19 December 1965 | 1 July 1966 | 1 January 1973 | Goods | The Ireland–United Kingdom Free Trade Area was agreed to after both nations' bids to join the European Economic Community were rejected. This agreement was superseded upon both parties' accession to the EEC. | ![]() |
[140][141] |
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1 | 18 October 2019 | 1 January 2021 | 28 June 2022 | Goods & Services | The Colombia–UK Trade Continuity Agreement was provisionally applied until Colombia could ratify the Andean–UK Trade Continuity Agreement, which superseded this agreement. | Andean Countries![]() ![]() ![]() |
[142] |
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2 | 8 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 | 1 September 2022 | Goods | Iceland–Norway–UK Trade Continuity Agreement was superseded by an updated FTA with Liechtenstein, which expanded the coverage to include services. | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
[143][144][145] |
The United Kingdom was previously a member of the following trade blocs, which include multilateral free trade with fellow members.
The following agreements are European Union free trade agreements, of which the United Kingdom was a party until Brexit; however continuity agreements were not reached to replace them.
Nation (s) | No of nations represented |
Signed | Effective | Obsolete | Coverage | Note | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 22 April 2002 | 1 September 2005 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | The UK has no free trade agreement with Algeria. | [153] |
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1 | 16 June 2008 | 1 June 2015 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | The UK has no free trade agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina. | [154][107] |
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13 | 27 November 2001 | 2 December 2001 | 1 January 2021 | Goods | The UK has no free trade agreement with any of the EU Overseas Countries and Territories.
|
[155][156] |
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1 | 15 October 2007 | 1 May 2010 | 1 January 2021 | Goods & Services | The UK has no free trade agreement with Montenegro. | [157][107] |
Exports | Imports | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Trade Partner | £millions | % of Total | Rank | Trade Partner | £millions | % of Total |
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153 951 | 47.8% | ![]() |
223 393 | 46.8% | ||
1. | ![]() |
47 098 | 14.6% | 1. | ![]() |
63 557 | 13.3% |
2. | ![]() |
29 595 | 9.2% | 2. | ![]() |
53 759 | 11.2% |
3. | ![]() |
27 085 | 8.4% | 3. | ![]() |
39 379 | 8.2% |
4. | ![]() |
21 834 | 6.8% | 4. | ![]() |
31 786 | 6.7% |
5. | ![]() |
19 441 | 6.0% | 5. | ![]() |
27 112 | 5.7% |
6. | ![]() |
18 793 | 5.8% | 6. | ![]() |
23 331 | 4.9% |
7. | ![]() |
14 939 | 4.6% | 7. | ![]() |
23 128 | 4.8% |
8. | ![]() |
10 309 | 3.2% | 8. | ![]() |
17 604 | 3.7% |
9. | ![]() |
9 112 | 2.8% | 9. | ![]() |
14 472 | 3.0% |
10. | ![]() |
7 878 | 2.4% | 10. | ![]() |
13 861 | 2.9 % |
EU | 300.3 | 43.0% | EU | 372.2 | 51.4% | ||
Non EU | 398.3 | 57.0% | Non EU | 352.3 | 48.6% | ||
World | 698.6 | 100% | World | 724.5 | 100% |
Historically, WTO imports and exports are based on the rule of origin, while EU imports/exports are based on single market statistics.
The figures above are for 2020 & 2021[158][159]