Free trade agreements of the United Kingdom



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. 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.

, the United Kingdom has 38 active free trade agreements with nations and trade blocs, covering 99 countries and territories. Five of these are 'new' trade agreements, such as with Australia and New Zealand. The remaining 33 are continuity agreements. Furthermore, the UK has a customs union with its three Crown Dependencies. The UK has further arrangements covering free trade with its 14 British Overseas Territories.

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.

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.

Competence and ratification
According to UK law the United Kingdom Parliament has the power to pass law in all policy areas.

The UK's negotiating team will consult with its Strategic Trade Advisory Group throughout the negotiations.

Ratification
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.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office's legal advisers and Treaty Section:


 * must be given the opportunity to comment on the drafts of all treaties under negotiation
 * will advise on the form and substance of the treaty, though not substance which is technical and of which the other government department is the expert
 * will advise on related matters such as the production of Full Powers and Instruments of Ratification
 * will produce original signature copies of treaties and advise on the treaty signing ceremony
 * will arrange for the treaty to be published and laid before Parliament
 * is responsible for the registration of these treaties with the United Nations, allowing their subsequent publication in the United Nations Treaty Series
 * will transfer of the treaties to the National Archives for preservation

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.

Active agreements
The following bilateral and plurilateral agreements are currently in effect. Signature and entry into force dates are as listed by the World Trade Organization.

Dependencies
The following agreements govern the United Kingdom's free trade with British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

Negotiations
The United Kingdom is currently negotiating free trade agreements with the following countries and trade blocs:

Potential enlargement
The following countries can accede to an existing plurilateral Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Kingdom.

Obsolete agreements
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.

Former trade bloc memberships
The United Kingdom was previously a member of the following trade blocs, which include multilateral free trade with fellow members.

Obsolete EU agreements
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.

Largest trading partners
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