The UK aims to quickly resume cooperation after the US paused a tech partnership, citing a need for progress on broader trade negotiations.
LONDON: The UK government said on Wednesday it was focused on resuming talks promptly after the United States suspended implementation of a tech cooperation deal.
The US-UK Technology Prosperity Deal was a non-binding agreement signed during President Donald Trump’s state visit in September.
It was designed to align the two countries on tech innovation and spur private-sector investment.
On Tuesday, however, the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios, said on X that the UK must make “substantial progress” on trade talks for the deal to resume.
A UK government spokesperson responded by saying, “We look forward to resuming work on this partnership as quickly as possible… and working together to help shape the emerging technologies of the future.”
The tech deal sits alongside the broader “Economic Prosperity Deal” agreed in May.
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle held talks with US counterparts in Washington DC last week to progress that wider agreement.
According to the Financial Times, US officials have grown frustrated with Britain’s reluctance to address non-tariff barriers, including rules governing food and industrial goods.
The UK spokesperson noted that both sides “celebrated the success of the recent pharma deal and agreed to continue further negotiations next year.”
