Trade Sec To Sign Florida MoU, Targets Broader US Agreement: RTRS

Reuters reporting that UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will sign a memorandum of understanding with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) intended to boost trade and investment between the UK and the US state. The two will sign the agreement at the Port of Jacksonville in the northeast of the state at around 1200ET/1700GMT.

• Reuters reports Badenoch claimed that: "Britain was also making progress in talks with the U.S. federal government on a broader trade agreement. She told Reuters in a telephone interview that she had "very, very good conversations" with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai at a recent G7 meeting on the broader deal, and "quite a lot" of issues had been agreed. We have a target to conclude very quickly. The last bits are often the trickiest bits," she said. "But it's going well."
• Despite the positive comments from Badenoch, the prospect of a fully-fledged trade deal being agreed between the UK and US any time soon remains slim. The Biden administration has demonstrated little interest in bilateral trade deals such as the mooted US-UK agreement, and focus in 2024 will turn increasingly to the presidential election, leaving little political oxygen for trade talks.
• Reuters: "Britain has signed similar pacts with the states of Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah and Washington. Together with Florida, they account for a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.3 trillion pounds ($4 trillion). Britain remains in negotiations with several other states including Texas, New York, California, Colorado and Illinois."