Welcome to this week’s update on the fast-moving world of global trade, digital policy, and transatlantic relations. Here’s what’s shaping the global agenda right now.
Andy Burnham discusses UK-EU deal on train and signs AI deal in Ukraine
Prime Minister Andy Burnham had talks with European Council President Antonio Costa on the train to Kyiv. The two discussed closer co-operation between the UK and EU, building on defence co-operation, and the UK-EU Summit, which the FT has suggested will be in November. Reports from Politico include speculation on how far Burnham is willing to go in talks with the EU, with the Prime Minister reportedly willing to grant home fees to EU students in exchange for UK inclusion in Made in Europe rules. What is certain though is that the PM has said he wants a closer deal with the EU to ‘add percentage points to growth’.
The importance of the UK’s commercial partnership with the EU will be explored at techUK’s event in Brussels on 10 September: Towards a UK–EU Partnership for a New Age.
The talks between Burnham and Costa came as the Prime Minister travelled to Kyiv for Ukraine’s Independence Day in his first official trip abroad since becoming Prime Minister. As well as reiterating the UK’s commitment to Ukraine and sharing missile blueprints with the Ukrainian military, the Prime Minister also oversaw an AI deal between the UK and Ukraine that will see the UK gain access to the Avengers AI Labs to develop defence AI technology. The deal provides UK researchers with Ukrainian battlefield data and is designed to enable co-operation on a range of fields in the future.
BIST Ministerial Roles announced
BIST ministerial roles were announced on 21 August.
Kanishka Narayan MP, meanwhile, has had his portfolio confirmed as AI Minister, which includes AI policy, data infrastructure and AI sovereignty policy. What is a bit surprising is that global AI policy is not within his brief. Instead, Uma Kumaran MP in the FCDO will be responsible for global tech and AI.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last week that he had ordered his negotiators home as talks between Canada and the United States broke down. According to the New York Times, the talks reportedly broke down as the two sides remained far apart and were not prepared to grant significant concessions to make a deal.
The collapse of the talks means that United States and Canada will go forward with reciprocal tariffs. The United States will look to impose 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, with Canada retaliating with measures of its own. There is a real danger of an escalation as each side retaliates to the other’s last measure.
Continuing US and EU trade disputes with China
The US and EU have seen their disputes with China continue and even evolve in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, the United States has accused Chinese firms of engaging in ‘transhipment’, the act of shipping a good from one country to another country via a third jurisdiction, to avoid tariffs, with the White House publishing a report, ‘The Great Transhipment Scam’, accusing around 40 jurisdictions of aiding Chinese firms avoid tariffs. The Chinese government denied the accusations, alongside jurisdictions named in the report.
Singapore intends to bid for the Multilateral Investment Tribunal
Singapore will make a bid to host the Multilateral Investment Tribunal currently being negotiated by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. The Tribunal is an attempt to formalise and regularise the current arbitration system for trade deals due to a rise in investor-state disputes.
Singapore’s bid to host the organisation revolves around Singapore’s status as an open trading economy, its domestic expertise, and its diplomatic network across the world. The increased amount of trade deal activity in Asia has also led Singapore to claim the new body should sit in Asia to be closer to the action.
However, competition for the seat is reportedly set to be strong.
Mercosur is looking for business
Following on from its deal with the EU earlier this year, the FT reports that Mercosur is very actively looking to secure trade deals with a range of markets including Canada, the UAE, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The report cites Argentina’s criticism of the bloc for being too insular as one source of pressure for liberalisation, with both Argentina and Uruguay seeking to join the CPTPP bloc in pursuit of free trade deals with other countries.
The bloc includes Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. The UK government is currently consulting on how it can deepen its trading relationship with Uruguay, alongside several other countries.
Trade Policy Activity Index reveals continued disruption
The WTO and IMF’s Trade Policy Activity Index has tracked continued rises in trade policy activity, largely driven by a rise in restrictive measures.
The Index has tracked global trade policy activity since the aftermath of the Financial Crisis. The latest round of the tracker has shown a significant increase in trade policy activity in the last two years. While this is partly driven by an increase in facilitating measures designed to ease trade, it is also driven by a significant increase in restrictive measures.
The paper suggests trade policy activity is likely to remain high for the foreseeable future.
Archie Breare
Policy Manager - Trade, techUK
Archie Breare
Policy Manager - Trade, techUK
Archie Breare joined techUK in September 2022 as the Telecoms Programme intern, and moved into the Policy and Public Affairs team in February 2023.
Before starting at techUK, Archie was a student at the University of Cambridge, completing an undergraduate degree in History and a master's degree in Modern British History.
In his spare time, he likes to read, discuss current affairs, and to try and persuade himself to cycle more.
Tess is a Junior Policy Manager at techUK. She joined techUK as an Policy and Public Affairs Team Assistant in November of 2024. In this role, she supported areas such as administration, member communications and media content.
Before joining the Team, she gained experience working as an Intern in both campaign support for MPs and Councilors during the 2024 Local and General Election, and working for the Casimir Pulaski Foundation on defence and international secuirty. She has worked for multiple charities, on issues such as the climate crisis, educational inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). In 2023, Tess obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
techUK International Policy and Trade Programme activities
techUK supports members with their international trade plans and aspirations. We help members to understand market opportunities, tackle market access barriers, and build partnerships in their target market. Visit the programme page here.
techUK Cyber Resilience Delegation to Brussels 2026
Join us from 8 – 9 September in Brussels to deepen your understanding of the EU cyber policy landscape, connect with key European decision-makers, and shape your organisation's strategy for engaging with EU institutions on cyber resilience.
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Sabina Ciofu is International Policy and Strategy Lead at techUK, where she heads the International Policy and Trade Programme. Based in Brussels, she shapes global tech policy, digital trade, and regulatory cooperation across the EU, US, Canada, Asia-Pacific, and the Gulf region. She drives strategy, advocacy, and market opportunities for UK tech companies worldwide, ensuring their voice is heard in international policy debates.
With nearly a decade of previous experience as a Policy Advisor in the European Parliament, Sabina brings deep expertise in tech regulation, trade policy, and EU–US relations. Her work focuses on navigating and influencing the global digital economy to deliver real impact for members.
A passionate community-builder, Sabina co-founded Young Professionals in Digital Policy (800+ members) and now runs Old Professionals in Digital Policy (more experience, better wine, earlier nights). She is also the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club, a network of 500+ women supporting each other with kindness.
She holds advisory roles with the UCL European Institute, Café Transatlantique (a network of women in transatlantic tech policy), and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club for women.
Recognised by ComputerWeekly as one of the most influential women in UK tech, Sabina is also a sought-after public speaker on tech, trade and diversity.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
Theo joined techUK in 2024 as EU Policy Manager. Based in Brussels, he works on our EU policy and engagement.
Theo is an experienced policy adviser who has helped connect EU and non-EU decision makers.
Prior to techUK, Theo worked at the EU delegation to Australia, the Israeli trade mission to the EU, and the City of London Corporation’s Brussels office. In his role, Theo ensures that techUK members are well-informed about EU policy, its origins, and its implications, while also facilitating valuable input to Brussels-based decision-makers.
Theo holds and LLM in International and European law, and an MA in European Studies, both from the University of Amsterdam.
Archie Breare joined techUK in September 2022 as the Telecoms Programme intern, and moved into the Policy and Public Affairs team in February 2023.
Before starting at techUK, Archie was a student at the University of Cambridge, completing an undergraduate degree in History and a master's degree in Modern British History.
In his spare time, he likes to read, discuss current affairs, and to try and persuade himself to cycle more.
Archie Breare joined techUK in September 2022 as the Telecoms Programme intern, and moved into the Policy and Public Affairs team in February 2023.
Before starting at techUK, Archie was a student at the University of Cambridge, completing an undergraduate degree in History and a master's degree in Modern British History.
In his spare time, he likes to read, discuss current affairs, and to try and persuade himself to cycle more.
