The UK’s long-awaited trade deal with India may have been spurred into motion by the escalating global tariff war instigated by US President Donald Trump, according to leading audit, tax and business advisory firm Blick Rothenberg.
Jim Brown, Chief Operating Officer at the firm, said the growing uncertainty caused by Trump’s aggressive trade policies may have acted as a wake-up call for UK trade negotiators, creating momentum for long-stalled agreements in the post-Brexit era.
“It has taken this government and the last a long time to progress the trade deals that were promised post-Brexit,” Brown said. “They are very complicated to negotiate, but perhaps the current debates around tariffs and the uncertainty this is causing for businesses has helped focus attention — and more deals may now follow.”
With Trump’s tariffs disrupting global trade routes, UK businesses are seeking new, stable partnerships to ensure frictionless cross-border trade. A deal with India, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, could help fill that gap.
Brown noted that for many of the firm’s internationally active clients, reducing trade friction is critical to keeping costs down and avoiding inflationary pressures for British consumers.
“Making cross-border transactions as frictionless as possible can only be of benefit to British consumers,” he added.
While a UK-India trade deal is now reportedly nearing completion, Brown suggested that further agreements — including with China, potentially focused on electric vehicles and electronics — should also be on the government’s radar.
“The Government needs to use the current situation to complete the trade deals they’ve been discussing since Brexit, and come up with new ones,” he said.
The remarks come as the UK government faces pressure to deliver on its post-Brexit trade promises and offer businesses certainty in the face of Trump’s protectionist trade agenda, which has already included blanket 10% tariffs, a 145% levy on Chinese imports, and threats of further duties on automobiles, metals, and even entertainment products.
A UK-India trade deal, long in discussion, would mark a significant milestone in diversifying Britain’s global trade strategy — and, if Blick Rothenberg is right, could be the first of several accelerated by external pressures from Washington.
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Trump’s tariff war may have catalysed UK-India trade deal, says Blick Rothenberg