View source for Gulf Cooperation Council–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement

{{Short description|Proposed free trade agreement between the GCC and the UK}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox treaty
| name                    = Gulf Cooperation Council–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement
| long_name               =
| image                   = Gulf Cooperation Council–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement.svg
| image_size              = 390px
| alt                     = <!-- alt-text here for accessibility; see [[MOS:ACCESS]] -->
| caption                 = {{Legend|#228B22|Gulf Cooperation Council}}{{Legend|#FF7F00|United Kingdom}}
| type                    = [[Free trade agreement]]
| context                 = [[Trade agreement]] between [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] and the United Kingdom
| date_drafted            =
| date_signed             =
| location_signed         =
| date_sealed             =
| date_effective          =
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| date_expiration         = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} OR: -->
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| mediators               = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| negotiators             =
* <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of Bahrain.svg}} </small> Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro
* <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of Kuwait.svg}} </small> Mohammad Othman Al-Eyban
* <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of Oman.svg}} </small> [[Qais Mohammed Al Yousef]]
* <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of Qatar.svg}} </small> [[Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani]]
* <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg}} </small> [[Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi]]
* <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg}} </small> [[Sultan Al Jaber]]
* <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Kingdom.svg}} </small> [[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]]<small><br />until 6 September 2022</small><br /> <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Kingdom.svg}} </small> [[Kemi Badenoch]]<small><br />from 6 September 2022 until 5 July 2024</small><br /> <small> {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Kingdom.svg}} </small> [[Jonathan Reynolds]]<small><br />from 5 July 2024</small>
| original_signatories    = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| signatories             = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| parties               =
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Bahrain.svg}} [[Bahrain]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Kuwait.svg}} [[Kuwait]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Oman.svg}} [[Oman]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Qatar.svg}} [[Qatar]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg}} [[Saudi Arabia]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg}} [[United Arab Emirates]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Kingdom.svg}} [[United Kingdom]]
| ratifiers               = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| depositor               = <!-- OR: -->
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| citations               = <!-- format as XX [[Article on Treaty Series|TS]] YYY -->
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| languages               = {{hlist|[[Arabic]]|[[English language|English]]}}
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| footnotes               =
}}
The '''Gulf Cooperation Council–United Kingdom free trade agreement (GCCUKFTA)''' is a proposed [[free trade agreement]] which began negotiations in June 2022.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smout|first=Alistair|date=22 June 2023|title=Britain launches free trade talks with Gulf countries|url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/britain-launches-free-trade-talks-with-gulf-countries-2022-06-21/|website=[[Reuters]]|access-date=29 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622015420/https://www.reuters.com/markets/britain-launches-free-trade-talks-with-gulf-countries-2022-06-21/|archive-date=22 June 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>  When completed it will be the first free trade agreement between the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]], or any of its member states: [[Bahrain]], [[Kuwait]], [[Oman]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]].
==Background==
Following the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 Brexit referendum]], in which the UK voted to [[Brexit|leave]] the [[European Union]], the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf states]] began pressing the [[Government of the United Kingdom|UK Government]] for a post-Brexit [[Trade agreement]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Finn|first=Tom|date=26 March 2017|title=Gulf Arab states push for UK free trade deal after Brexit - officials|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-gulf-brexit-idAFL5N1H30PJ/|website=Reuters|access-date=29 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514090748/https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-gulf-brexit-idAFL5N1H30PJ/|archive-date=14 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
British trade with the GCC was worth about 45 billion pounds ($61 billion) in 2019, 7% of the size of Britain's [[commerce]] with the European Union in 2019. Talks for a trade deal intensified in late 2021, just after the [[Premier League]] approved  Saudi Arabia's [[Public Investment Fund|sovereign wealth fund's]] [[2021 takeover of Newcastle United F.C.|takeover]] of [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] from billionaire [[Mike Ashley (businessman)|Mike Ashley]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Mayes|first=Joe|date=7 October 2021|title=U.K. Starts Trade Deal Process With Saudi Arabia, Gulf|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-07/u-k-starts-trade-deal-process-with-saudi-arabia-gulf-states|website=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]|access-date=29 December 2023|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514090932/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-07/u-k-starts-trade-deal-process-with-saudi-arabia-gulf-states|archive-date=14 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism for Bahrain, Zayed Al Zayani hoped that the two sides could complete negotiations by the "end of this year or the middle of next year," in January 2022.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cranny|first1=Manus|last2=Martin|first2=Matthew|last3=Gamal El-Din|first3=Yousef|date=27 January 2022|title=UK, Gulf May Sign Post-Brexit Trade Deal This Year, Bahrain Says|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-27/uk-gulf-may-sign-post-brexit-trade-deal-this-year-bahrain-says|website=Bloomberg|access-date=29 December 2023|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127072400/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-27/uk-gulf-may-sign-post-brexit-trade-deal-this-year-bahrain-says|archive-date=27 January 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
In June 2021, [[Secretary of State for International Trade|International trade secretary]] [[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]] stated that the  agreement would target a £1.6bn annual boost to the [[Economy of the United Kingdom|UK economy]], and that the agreement would be a comprehensive FTA that will cover manufactured [[goods]] and [[Agriculture|agricultural produce]] to [[Financial services|financial]] and digital services.<ref name="FT">{{cite news|last=Kerr|first=Simeone|date=21 June 2022|title=UK seeks Gulf trade boost as talks start to secure deal|url=https://www.ft.com/content/aa6b3790-f964-4cfe-9ceb-b326530c98f1|website=[[Financial Times]]|access-date=29 December 2023|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622021719/https://www.ft.com/content/aa6b3790-f964-4cfe-9ceb-b326530c98f1|archive-date=22 June 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Negotiations==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ GCCUKFTA Round of Negotiations
|-
! Round !! Dates !! Location !! Ref.
|-
| 1 || 22 August–29 September 2022 || ''Virtual meeting'' ||<ref name="round1"/>
|-
| 2 || 5–9 December 2022 || [[London]] ||<ref>{{cite web|date=20 December 2022|title=UK - Gulf Cooperation Council trade negotiations update: December 2022|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-gulf-cooperation-council-trade-negotiations-update-december-2022|website=GOV.UK|access-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220115951/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-gulf-cooperation-council-trade-negotiations-update-december-2022|archive-date=20 December 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 3 || 12–16 March 2023 || [[Riyadh]] ||<ref>{{cite web|date=22 March 2023|title=Trade Update: UK-Gulf Cooperation Council FTA|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta|website=GOV.UK|access-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322145834/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta|archive-date=22 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 4 || 17–28 July 2023 || [[London]] ||<ref>{{cite web|date=1 August 2023|title=Trade Update: UK-Gulf Cooperation Council FTA|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta--2|website=GOV.UK|access-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801163745/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta--2|archive-date=1 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 5 || 5–16 November 2023 || [[Riyadh]] ||<ref>{{cite web|date=22 November 2023|title=Trade Update: UK-Gulf Cooperation Council FTA|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta--3|website=GOV.UK|access-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122184655/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta--3|archive-date=22 November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 6 || 29 January–9 February 2024 || [[London]] ||<ref>{{cite web|date=19 February 2024|title=Trade Update: UK-Gulf Cooperation Council FTA negotiations|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta-negotiations|website=GOV.UK|access-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219151502/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-update-uk-gulf-cooperation-council-fta-negotiations|archive-date=19 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}
The UK Government confirmed that the first round of negotiations had been conducted from 22 August and 29 September 2022.<ref name="round1">{{cite news|date=12 October 2022|title=Gulf Cooperation Council trade negotiations update|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gulf-cooperation-council-trade-negotiations-update|website=[[gov.uk|GOV.UK]]|access-date=29 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012142851/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gulf-cooperation-council-trade-negotiations-update|archive-date=12 October 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
On 4 July 2023, Bahrain announced plans to invest £1 billion in the UK as a preliminary move to strengthen ties related to [[financial services]] as part of the potential new trade deal.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nair|first1=Adveith|last2=Rees|first2=Tom|date=4 July 2023|title=Bahrain Set to Invest £1 Billion in UK After Crown Prince Visits|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-04/bahrain-set-to-invest-1-billion-in-uk-as-crown-prince-visits|website=Bloomberg|access-date=14 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320100327/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-04/bahrain-set-to-invest-1-billion-in-uk-as-crown-prince-visits|archive-date=20 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
Following difficulties in securing the [[India–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement]], some British trade officials are increasingly pessimistic about the India deal and view a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council as a more realistic deal which can be struck prior to the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|next election]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Courea|first=Eleni|date=5 March 2024|title=UK negotiators fly to India in last-ditch effort to seal free-trade deal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/05/uk-negotiators-fly-to-india-in-last-ditch-effort-to-seal-free-trade-deal|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=5 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305054232/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/05/uk-negotiators-fly-to-india-in-last-ditch-effort-to-seal-free-trade-deal|archive-date=5 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
On 14 May 2024, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom hosted a joint [[investment]] summit with more than 450 British business attendees, including representatives from [[HSBC]] and [[British Airways]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Mayes|first=Joe|date=14 May 2024|title=UK Seeks Stronger Saudi Ties With 450-Strong Business Delegation|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-04/bahrain-set-to-invest-1-billion-in-uk-as-crown-prince-visits|website=Bloomberg|access-date=14 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514085536/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-13/uk-seeks-stronger-saudi-ties-with-450-strong-business-delegation?sref=yJpN8RXL|archive-date=14 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=14 May 2024|title=UK seeks closer Saudi ties with 450-strong delegation|url=https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/uk-seeks-closer-saudi-ties-450-strong-delegation|website=[[The Business Times (Singapore)|The Business Times]]|access-date=14 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514143953/https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/uk-seeks-closer-saudi-ties-450-strong-delegation|archive-date=14 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Controversy ==
Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, Brendan O'Hara MP criticized the absence of [[human rights]] talks.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dudley|first=Dominic|date=14 October 2022|title=UK Starts Free Trade Talks With Gulf States, But Human Rights Seem Off The Menu|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2022/10/14/uk-starts-free-trade-talks-with-gulf-states-but-human-rights-seem-off-the-menu/|website=[[Forbes]]|access-date=22 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014141929/https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2022/10/14/uk-starts-free-trade-talks-with-gulf-states-but-human-rights-seem-off-the-menu/|archive-date=14 October 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Trade talks avoided discussions of events such as the [[Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi|murder]] of critical Saudi journalist [[Jamal Khashoggi]], and the UAE's detention of British academic [[Arrest of Matthew Hedges|Matthew Hedges]] for alleged spying.<ref name="FT"/>
== See also ==
{{Portal|Bahrain|Kuwait|Oman|Saudi Arabia|United Arab Emirates|United Kingdom|Politics}}
*[[Free trade agreements of the United Kingdom]]
*[[Foreign relations of Bahrain]]
*[[Foreign relations of Kuwait]]
*[[Foreign relations of Oman]]
*[[Foreign relations of Qatar]]
*[[Foreign relations of the United Arab Emirates]]
*[[Foreign relations of the United Kingdom]]
*[[Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia]]
*[[Bahrain–United Kingdom relations]]
*[[Oman–United Kingdom relations]]
*[[Qatar–United Kingdom relations]]
*[[Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations]]
*[[United Arab Emirates–United Kingdom relations]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{free trade agreements}}
{{UK bilateral relations}}
{{Free trade agreements of the United Kingdom}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulf Cooperation Council - United Kingdom Relations}}
[[Category:Bahrain–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:Free trade agreements of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Bahrain]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Kuwait]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Oman]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Qatar]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Kuwait–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:Oman–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:Qatar–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:United Arab Emirates–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of Bahrain|Kuwait|Qatar|Saudi Arabia|United Arab Emirates|United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Proposed free trade agreements]]