The UK and the US state of Utah are progressing with plans to create new trade and investment opportunities in the energy, aerospace, health and life sciences sectors as part of a joint memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2023.
During the second government-to-government working group meeting in Salt Lake City on 24 September, the group held a series of roundtables that included participation from Utah and UK businesses.
The discussions focused on energy, including shared priorities in the advanced civil nuclear sector, nuclear fuels and mining, as well as developments in regulation, procurement, clinical research and funding in the life sciences sector.
“The UK and Utah agreed to explore opportunities to further enhance cooperation in the civil nuclear sector,” the representatives said in a joint statement.
“The session further included a discussion on opportunities for Utah biotech businesses to expand into the UK,” they added.
The UK signed its first state-level MoU with Indiana in 2022, in an effort by the then-Boris Johnson government to expand the country’s trade and economic development opportunities after leaving the European Union in 2020.
The initiative has continued under Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s government. To date, the UK has signed 10 MoUs with Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington.
According to Article I of the US Constitution, states are restricted from signing trade agreements with foreign countries.
However, the MoUs aim to strengthen economic and investment ties with US states by addressing trade and supply chain barriers, boosting business networks and increasing jobs.
“These documents are not legally binding and are separate to the work the UK does with the US at federal level,” the UK government said in a 2022 statement.
The UK was the first country to sign a trade deal with the US in response to President Donald Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariff policy, which was announced in April.
Under this US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal, most UK goods are subject to a baseline tariff of 10%, while other levies on exports such as cars, steel and aluminium have been reduced.