The Trade Minister has been meeting with officials in numerous US states in a bid to increase economic ties.The end goal appears to be the future signing of a free trade deal with the US, but the White House is currently hesitant about such a move.<\/p>\n
During her cross-state visit, Ms Mordaunt has agreed to process memoranda of understanding with four states, according to City AM.<\/p>\n
She was the first UK minister to visit Oklahoma, one of the states on this list.<\/p>\n
The state is now also in discussion with Tees Valley following prompting from the Department for International Trade, the paper reports.<\/p>\n
This follows the opening of a new freeport in Tees Valley late last month, hailed as a sign that the UK is maximising the opportunities of Brexit.<\/p>\n
Similar agreements to process memoranda of understanding have also been achieved with Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.<\/p>\n
In a speech at Atlanta last week, Ms Mordaunt said Brexit should be viewed by the US as a massive opportunity to anyone who believes in democracy and the power of trade as a force for good in the world.<\/p>\n
She compared the UKs split from the EU to the American war of independence.<\/p>\n
The minister said: When America set itself free, it was a small economy.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Covid LIVE: Boris poised to slap Britons with 8pm curfew<\/p>\n
This has been seen as a snub from President Joe Biden, who has meanwhile offered to suspend tariffs on some imports from Japan and, more significantly, the EU.<\/p>\n
There are currently no plans within the White House for tariffs, imposed while Donald Trump was president, to be removed for the UK.<\/p>\n
While a free trade agreement may currently but out of sight, Ms Mordaunt has focussed her efforts on achieving growth at a local level.<\/p>\n
On Friday she wrote in the Yorkshire Post: I am keen to make progress that will help drive investment, jobs and growth at local level.<\/p>\n
As the two biggest exporters of services in the world I want to deepen our relationship with US states, to make it easier for professionals, such as engineers or lawyers to work on the other side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n
Ill also be looking at increasing co-operation in areas from digital to agriculture.<\/p>\n
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Penny Mordaunt lands string of wins as UK and US progress towards post-Brexit trade deal - Daily Express<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Trade Minister has been meeting with officials in numerous US states in a bid to increase economic ties.The end goal appears to be the future signing of a free trade deal with the US, but the White House is currently hesitant about such a move. During her cross-state visit, Ms Mordaunt has agreed to process memoranda of understanding with four states, according to City AM. Continue reading