UK Trade Minister Begins Quest by Hiring Negotiators – Reuters

By Jonathan Spicer and David Henry

NEW YORK – The minister responsible for the initial stages of re-negotiating Britain’s trade agreements in a post-Brexit environment announced on Tuesday that he is taking a careful approach. He emphasized the need to expand his team from 40 to roughly 300 personnel over the coming months.

Mark Price, the UK’s Minister of State for Trade and Investment, shared in a New York interview that he has been engaging with U.S. policymakers and investors to begin formulating the potential framework for free trade agreements as Britain prepares to exit the European Union.

Following the recent vote by Britons to leave the EU—an outcome that Price had opposed—he highlighted that the process will require time, as formal negotiations with multiple countries, including the United States, China, and Turkey, cannot commence until there is greater clarity regarding Britain’s future relationship with the EU.

To begin with, his department must increase its ranks of negotiators and other staff.

"We’ve just started the process now, building our organizational structure and recruiting the necessary personnel. This cannot be accomplished overnight," he explained, adding that a target of 300 staff members is essential.

When asked about the expenses related to hiring new negotiators, Price, a former managing director of supermarket chain Waitrose, admitted he did not have specific cost estimates but acknowledged, "trained negotiators are not going to come cheap."

Currently, nearly half of the UK’s exports are directed to the EU, but Price identified the United States and China as primary targets for trade negotiations.

In the next year, Price’s team plans to explore options for a U.S. trade deal, suggesting that the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks between the U.S. and the EU provide a solid foundation. He remarked, "I suspect we’d advocate for even greater liberalization within it."

Such a trade agreement would follow the U.S. presidential election in November, where Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, has adopted an anti-free trade stance—mirroring sentiments expressed by those in favor of Brexit.

Price noted Trump’s business ties to Britain, stating, "I’m not currently focused on one candidate over the other and how they might feel. Both candidates have shown appreciation for the UK."

Ultimately, he asserted that the decision-making process would be driven by "cold, hard economic logic," suggesting this approach would lead to a reasonable outcome regarding trade.