BAB Policy Update | September 2018

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Headlines

BAB Partnership with DIT on US-UK FTA Consultation

BritishAmerican Business is proud to partner with the Department for International Trade to organise a series of face-to-face discussions between senior representatives of DIT and business leaders from across the UK.

Following a successful roundtable event in Manchester on 21 September, we maintained the momentum with an event in Birmingham on 1 October, attended by business leaders in the Midlands area, as well as the Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox MP.

The event was held in partnership with the Department for International Trade and the British-American Business Council Midlands , and kindly hosted by KPMG .

These events provided the opportunity to directly engage with the UK Government on its negotiation priorities going forward.

BAB Releases Statement on Migration Advisory Committee Report

On 18 September, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) released its report on 'The Impact of EEA migration in the UK' which called for an end to free movement from the European Union after Brexit and recommends that the UK embrace a Canada-style system.

Duncan Edwards, CEO, BritishAmerican Business, released a formal statement on the MAC report. "We welcome the MAC's final report on UK immigration and the assessment it makes on how the UK can build its post-Brexit migration system." Additionally, he commented on the benefits high-skilled workers bring to the UK economy, and stressed the importance of a flexible migration system that is able to accommodate the needs of different sectors.

BAB has been an active advisor to the UK Government on how best to attract the talent that UK-based businesses need , and we will work to continue this relationship as the Government maps out how their post-Brexit migration system can maintain the UK's status as an attractive destination for foreign talent.

The full statement can be found here .

Events, Media & Initiatives

Progressive Policy Institute and BritishAmerican Business host Congressional Delegation

On 21 September, leading members of BritishAmerican Business were able to come together for a meeting with a Congressional delegation to London, led by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI). This event was kindly hosted at the offices of Hogan-Lovells by Aline Doussin, Partner, Hogan-Lovells .

The discussion focused on the impact of Brexit on transatlantic businesses. Emanuel Adam, Executive Director, BritishAmerican Business, moderated the discussion.

The bipartisan Congressional Delegation included representatives from the House of Representatives and the Senate, including Committees.

BAB/DIT Public Consultation Roundtable Event Featured in Manchester Evening News

On 21 September, business leaders in the Manchester area met with senior representatives from the Department for International Trade, including International Trade Minister George Hollingbery for a roundtable discussion on the UK's global trade future. BAB ran the event in partnership with the DIT.

The discussion focussed on the ongoing public consultations being held by the DIT regarding potential future FTAs with countries such as New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and Britain s eeking accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The meeting was featured in the Manchester Evening News. To read the article, please click here.

BAB Meets with State Department Counselor, T. Ulrich Brechbul

On 12 September, BAB met with senior appointee at the State Department, State Department Counselor, T. Ulrich Brechbul. The meeting was held to discuss US businesses operating in the UK and their viewpoint on Brexit, as well as to discuss what contingency planning US businesses are doing in the event of a 'No Deal' outcome.

BAB London Executive Director Moderates CATO Institute UK-US FTA Report Launch

BAB Executive Director and Director of Policy and Trade, Emanuel Adam, moderated a panel at the launch of ' An Ideal US-UK Free Trade Agreement: A Free Trader's Perspective ' on 18 September.

The report from the Initiative for Free Trade in London and the Cato Institute was published as a proposed legal text for a bilateral free trade agreement between the US and UK.

Emanuel moderated the Q&A session where attendees were able to ask the authors of the report questions regarding their viewpoints on what a FTA between the US and UK could and should like and the challenges it may face.

UK-US Financial and Related Professional Services Industry Coalition

BAB joined leading financial services and professional services business groups in the launch of the US UK Financial Services Regulatory Cooperation Group.

The group was created to support the work of the US UK Financial Services Regulatory Cooperation Working Group, a partnership created by US and UK Governments earlier this year.

Thank you for reading this month's Policy Update. If you have any feedback or comments,

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BritishAmerican Business is proud to engage with, and provide support to policy matters to the 20 BABC chapters across the UK and the US.