Tom Harwood: A UK-US trade deal is a no brainer, all it takes is a bit of political bravery

To deal or not to deal.

The ever present question of the UK's trading relationship with the United States hangs over the Prime Minister's climate focussed trip across the pond. While Boris is desperate to talk about Climate, COP 26, Cash, Cars, Coal, Trees, even AMTRAK with the President - he seems irked when journalists ask of the prospect of a US Trade deal.

Despite the Biden Administration saying the issue of a comprehensive UK-US trade deal is "on the agenda and continues to be discussed” - it is perhaps not as high on the agenda as it had been. To be fair, Boris was right yesterday to point to some areas of trade where deals have indeed been done in recent months.

The US Government did finally agree to allow Americans access to the brilliance of British Beef, and punitive tariffs have been removed from Scotch Whiskey. Just last week a seismic deal was struck on defence with not just the Americans but the Australians too.

These three issues, though, are small fry compared to the prise of a comprehensive trade deal, and the Prime Minister should be bolder in pushing for one.

Every day one million Brits go to work for US owned companies. Every day a million Americans go to work for British owned firms. The US is the UK's single largest trading partner. Both common law democracies the UK and US even almost share the same language.

A deal to share in goods services and capital too should be a top priority. And we must stop talking about these trade deals as if they represent countries doing us a favour. Making it easier to buy and sell goods is not a favour from one side to the other.

Uniquely, fundamentally, miraculously, the point of free exchange is that both sides benefit. This simple truth of specialisation and trade whether between individuals or nation states has has been the bedrock of all of our prosperity.

In February 2020, before the Government's mission got distracted by some bats or laboratories in Wuhan, the Prime Minister made this case.

In his Greenwich Speech - a moment meant to chart a course for his post-Brexit government - Boris said: "Free trade is being choked and that is no fault of the people, that’s no fault of individual consumers, I am afraid it is the politicians who are failing to lead. The mercantilists are everywhere, the protectionists are gaining ground.From Brussels to China to Washington tariffs are being waved around like cudgels"

That's what he said before becoming a little distracted by other events. Now the pandemic is receding behind us Boris must rediscover this spirit in his final meetings on this US trip.

To the Brits - the ability to import more goods at a cheaper price is not a favour to the Americans, it is a favour to our own consumers. To the Americans - the ability to access our world beating financial services or recognise each other's qualifications is not a favour to us, it will help your own businesses get on.

There is a deal to be done. A no brainer deal. A deal that will increase the prosperity of both our great countries either side of the Atlantic, and help kickstart the global trading system again.

All it takes is a bit of political bravery. The will to make the case.

When I asked new Trade Secretary Anne Marie Trevelyan last week who is next for a trade deal she replied “The rest of the world!”

Well it's time for Boris to rediscover his optimism and make that case today too.