President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Northern Ireland promised more investment in the region but there was no indication that the UK’s wish for a trade deal with the United States would be granted any time soon.
We have previously reported that the Government seems to be compensating by signing deals with individual states.
With Indiana, North Carolina and South Carolina in the bag, Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston has now signed a state-level trade Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oklahoma which aims to boost the £174.4 million worth of goods UK companies exported to the state in 2022.
Top goods exports from UK to Oklahoma in 2022 included nuclear equipment, precious stones and metals and photographic equipment, including medical and navigational.
Mr Huddleston said: “The US is our largest trading partner, and these wins reflect our successful twin-track approach to trade with the US, strengthening links with individual states in parallel with work with the federal government.”
The Oklahoma MoU will, he went on, focus on decarbonisation, particularly through boosting collaboration and investment in areas such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). The Government has identified CCUS as an area of economic opportunity for the UK — expected to create up to 50,000 British jobs by the end of this decade.
During his visit to the US, the Minister also signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between UK and US architect regulators. This is the first of its kind signed by the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) and will ensure UK architects can take advantage of new opportunities in several states across the United States.
Under the Agreement, eligible UK architects and businesses will face significantly less testing and a shorter process to get a licence in participating jurisdictions.
