Early September has seen a flurry of activity around the much-touted UK-EU reset.
The month began with the Foreign Secretary heading to Dublin for a meeting of EU foreign ministers, and with the French President heading to London for talks with the PM as part of the launch of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition. It was also announced the UK was in talks to rejoin EU security missions, though this is a longer-term development, with the BBC reporting the EU signed off its instructions to negotiators in late July.
It remains to be seen how far negotiations on the reset will have progressed by November. Burnham’s signals on home tuition fees for EU students show an ability to make progress, Burnham’s commitments to stick by the red lines in the Labour manifesto mean he will likely hit the same general barriers in Brussels as Starmer’s government did. Furthermore, Politico has suggested that a real sign of success for Burnham would not be expanding the UK’s presence in the EU, but simply maintaining the current level of UK market access in the face of the Made in Europe and Technology Sovereignty Package changes which threaten to cut the UK out of key EU tech and manufacturing markets.
This would be no mean feat though. As our latest report ‘Towards a UK-EU Partnership for a New Age’ makes clear, the UK and EU share one of the world's most integrated digital economies, worth over $350 billion in trade in 2024. The Technology Sovereignty Package would especially hit the UK’s cyber sector, Europe's largest and worth over €10.3 billion in 2025, hard and would damage the UK and EU’s ability to tackling shared threats.
As MPs go on recess ahead of party conference season, we’ll be keeping an eye on the substance of what the government says at Labour Conference. In these negotiations, high rhetoric counts far less than the substance of how far the government is willing to go.
techUK heads to Geneva for the WTO Public Forum
techUK will be heading to Geneva next week for both the WTO Public Forum and World Tech and Trade Day.
The Public Forum is one of the world’s largest gatherings of trade policymakers from across the entire world, with the focus theme this year being on ‘Trade in Services’. World tech and Trade Day meanwhile focuses on AI and Trade.
We’ll be heading there with member companies to hold meetings with delegations from around the world and with the UK Mission in Geneva.
techUK members will receive daily updates of the latest happenings in Geneva and the conversations we’ve been happening. Members who wish to receive these updates should sign up to the International Tech Policy and Trade Working Group.
The FCDO and BIST both saw new top civil servants appointed recently.
Lindy Cameron has been appointed new Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCDO after a stint as UK High Commissioner in India. Cameron also served as CEO of the UK National Cyber Security Centre from 2020-2024, so brings knowledge of the UK’s tech ecosystem and the importance of the cyber sector to her role.
Meanwhile, Cat Little CB has moved from being Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office and the Civil Service’s Chief Operating Officer to take up the Permanent Secretary role at BIST. She brings experience of the Cabinet Office and of several financial roles in the Treasury, principally in finance, with her.
We’ll be looking to have meetings with both of them soon as we welcome them into their new roles.
New UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank
The sanctions target both settlement goods, which under the UK Israel FTA are already distinguished from goods made on the Israeli side of the green line, but will also target companies and individuals providing services for the expansion of settlements.
Many of the announced sanctions will require primary legislation to be implemented, with the government announcing this legislation will be written in the coming months.
New APPG report on barriers to trade
Last week, the International Trade and Investment APPG published their report ‘Navigating the Trade Triangle’, based on interviews with business.
The report has found that while support does exist for exports, businesses are concerned this support is not well signposted, is fragmented, and is difficult to navigate generally. Businesses are also keen for support to help navigate specific markets. It follows a report from the Scottish Government on services trade in August.
We support the broad conclusions of both reports, which reflect the findings of our ‘Spreading Wings’ report from the start of the year where we called on government to provide a better service to exporters and to fully utilise its networks abroad to help UK firms access other markets and deepen their presence abroad.
UK clears last CPTPP ratification
On 1 September, CPTPP terms entered into force on trade between the UK and Canada, meaning UK businesses now have full access to the bloc. Amongst the benefits include broader access to public procurement opportunities and more generous business mobility rules.
techUK is taking a delegation to Ottawa in late September, where delegates will meet with Canadian government officials, tech companies and defence policymakers. Any tech companies considering expanding to Canada, or who have done and would like to deepen their presence in the Canadian market, can register on the techUK website.
US-Canada tariff battle escalates
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced another series of tariffs on $20bn of US goods as he warned the trade war ‘will come at a cost’. It follows a series of escalations in the trade dispute between the US and Canada, which presents a clear danger of raising prices and costs for consumers and businesses in both countries.
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.
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.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
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.
