HMS Queen Elizabeth hosts UK-US ‘International Trade Day’ in NYC

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, is today hosting a number of trade events to secure trading ties between UK and US businesses on board the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth in New York.

The event takes place days after US Treasury Secretary, Robert Lighthizer, announced that the US intends to begin negotiations towards a UK-US Free Trade Agreement after the UK leaves the European Union.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) will host a roundtable bringing together a number of the UK’s world leading cyber companies will to present their technology and software to US Fortune 500 companies, in an effort to secure fruitful new deals. Businesses such as Garrison, iProov and Tessian will attend the event, all of whom have secured US business success in recent months.

Dr Fox will speak at the event, highlighting the UK’s ability to counter significant cyber threats as they continue to grow from overseas.

He will then announce the founding of a sub-committee of the Board of Trade which will look specifically at cyber, how UK companies can increase their exports in the sector and how UK-US collaboration can help tackle increasing online threats.

Capitalising upon the nautical setting, Dr Fox will join Maritime UK to host the first Maritime Nations Forum between the UK and the USA, focused on strengthening maritime trade and relations between the two countries.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox MP, said: “The United States is one of our closest allies, our largest single bilateral trading partner and we will see that bond continue to strengthen as we leave the European Union. This ‘trade day’ will see some of the UK’s most innovative businesses meeting their US counterparts as we continue to combat growing overseas cyber threats together.

“My international economic department is currently consulting on the potential of a future free trade agreement with the US, and I would strongly encourage British businesses and the public to make the most of this opportunity to share their thoughts on what this deal should include.”