Welcome to the February BABN Policy and Trade Update.

On 20 January, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, marking a historic return to the White House. BAB is monitoring several policy areas, including trade and tariffs, and we look forward to working with the newly appointed USTR once fully in place.

During the month of January, BAB submitted a response to the UK Department for Business and Trade's call for view on the Trade Strategy. On February 4, BAB also released its latest White Paper, focusing on the role of US-owned companies as part of the UK defence industrial base.

See below for a breakdown of policy and trade headlines and our published works.

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President Trump Sworn In

20 January 2025

What happened: On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. His inaugural address emphasised a renewed focus on American economic strength and international competitiveness. Within hours of taking office, President Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at reshaping key policy areas. These orders included measures to boost fossil fuel production, stricter immigration policies, and the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He also announced $500bn in private sector AI infrastructure investment.

BAB's work: With a new Administration in the US and a new Government in the UK, BAB is working hard to keep businesses abreast on important developments in several policy areas.

BAB White Paper: Stronger Together: How US-UK Cooperation Contributes to the Revival of the UK’s Defence Industrial Base

4 February 2025

BAB Submission to UK Trade Strategy Call for Views

17 January 2025

Overview: DBT is developing a Trade Strategy, which will set out how we can achieve long-term sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth through trade. The Trade Strategy is looking to consider the following questions:

• How can we facilitate trade for businesses and provide practical tools to support them to drive growth through trade now and in the future? 
• How can we build the right partnerships internationally through trade mechanisms to promote growth?
• How should the UK operate in the international context to support and protect businesses?

This Trade Strategy is part of the government’s broader economic vision. Since coming into office, the Labour government has prioritised aligning its Industrial Strategy with its Trade Strategy to create a cohesive and pro-business environment. This approach was underscored by the launch of the Industrial Strategy Green Paper in October, which promises to build on the UK’s strengths to foster growth and innovation. DBT will also be developing a Small Business Strategy in 2025. DBT held a call for views on this topic, which closed on 17 January.

BAB Submission: BAB submitted a response to this call for views, which you can read here.

Key points of our submission: BAB’s submission identifies the following points in response to the three main consultation questions:

1. Facilitating Trade for Businesses

• Strengthen trade promotion capacity and provide clear guidelines and support structures.
• Improve trade promotion success by revisiting insights from the Industrial Strategy response.
• Streamline support and expand coverage for small companies.
• Integrate industrial strategy with trade promotion efforts.

2. Building International Partnerships

• Identify and address trade barriers through comprehensive reports and dialogues.
• Champion and promote trade agreements, including a potential UK-US Free Trade Agreement.
• Improve and implement existing trade agreements and mechanisms.
• Link dialogues to policymaking for effective trade strategies.

3. Supporting and Protecting Businesses Internationally

• Promote trade as part of the UK’s competitiveness agenda.
• Identify opportunities for key sectors and support businesses in domestic and international markets.

Apply to Attend the 2025 SelectUSA Investment Summit

11-14 May 2025

Overview: The SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest profile event in the United States to facilitate business investment by connecting thousands of investors, companies, economic development organizations (EDOs), and industry experts to make deals happen.

The 2025 SelectUSA Investment Summit returns to National Harbor, Maryland from May 11 - 14, 2025 to establish new connections and opportunities to grow through investing in the United States.

What to expect:

• Plenary sessions, armchair discussions, panels, academy sessions, pitching sessions, and programs on SelectUSA's traditional agenda.
• Explore the Exhibition Hall featuring hundreds of EDOs, service providers and industry experts.
• Connect with representatives from 50+ states and territories, companies from 90+ markets, industry experts, and government officials to make investment deals happen.
• Gather advice and information from policy and industry experts in 100+ sessions providing actionable instruction on everything from developing a workforce to understanding incentives.
• Form valuable partnerships with industry partners from across the United States.

Get involved: SelectUSA welcomes investors representing international businesses of all sizes that are seeking to establish or expand operations in the United States, as well as U.S. economic development organizations, representatives from U.S. state and local governments, service providers, and associations facilitating direct investment into the United States to apply here.