Welcome to the March BABN Policy and Trade Update.

The last month has seen a flurry of activity as the new US administration has got straight to work. Since the inauguration, President Trump has issued around 110 executive actions, including 76 executive orders at the time of writing. With these, the global political landscape has started to develop to keep up with the consistently moving environment. In the UK, enacting sensible policy actions to implement the government’s growth agenda will remain the focus for months to come, in addition to balancing interests with China, the EU, and the US as major trading partners.

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

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President Trump and PM Starmer Meet

27 February 2025

What happened: On February 27, 2025, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Washington D.C. to meet with President Trump following his appointment last month.

The meeting was deemed to be a success on both sides, with a clear sense that the US-UK relationship would remain strong under the new administrations of both countries.

Key takeaways: After the meeting, Trump suggested he was "inclined to go along with" the UK's Chagos Islands deal, clearing the path of a key previous diplomatic hurdle. Trump also noted that there was a "very good chance" of a trade deal "where tariffs wouldn't be necessary". Given the relative trade balance, and the UK's separation from EU, there is optimism that there will be a strong and active corridor over the next four years. BAB was pleased with the outcome of the meeting and looks forward to hearing more details about the new trade deal between the US and the UK.

Read BAB's statement after the meeting here



BAB Inaugural Trade and Investment Policy Conference

25 February 2025

What happened: On Februrary 25, 2025, BAB held its inaugural trade and investment policy conference in London, with keynote remarks from DBT Minister Douglas Alexander MP and the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Virginia Murray.

The conference, occurring two days prior to PM Sir Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump's first meeting, considered the business perspective of the US-UK corridor at present within the context of the two new administrations.

Senior representatives from the BAB business community discussed British macroeconomic trends and effects on US and transatlantic investor confidence from a broad range of sectors. The conference concluded with a sense of cautious optimism towards the investment corridor, which aligned closely to the narrative after the two leaders met later in the week.

BAB's work: If you would like to see the read out (which has been put together in accordance with Chatham House rules), please let Sophie (srahemanji@babinc.org) know.



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

24 February 2025

Overview: BAB submitted to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Statement of Intent for a Defence Industrial Strategy.

The submission: With the release of BAB's defence White Paper in early February, BAB submitted both the paper and a cover letter outlining the core themes and recommendations of the document as its submission to the MoD's Statement of Intent.

Full paper: Read the full paper here and cover letter here.



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.

BABN Transatlantic Conference North Carolina

30 April - 2 May 2025

Overview: The next BABN Transatlantic Conference will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina between Wednesday 30th April and Thursday 1st May. Friday, 2nd May will be the internal meetings for chapter Executive Directors and Board members.

More information: Annually, the British American Business Network (BABN) brings together members of the 20 chapters throughout the US, UK and Canada for a conference. The purpose is to convene high-level business discussions with senior executives and decision-makers, thought-leaders and government representatives actively involved in bilateral trade, investment and business flows between the UK and US.

Sign up here: You can find the link to register here. The conference is expected to reach maximum attendance, so please encourage chapter representatives to sign up soon!

BAB Submission to UK Trade Strategy Call for Views

17 January 2025

Overview: As part of the Trade Strategy that DBT is developing, BAB submitted a response, in connection with 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. We expect for these to be released this Spring.

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