The United Kingdom and the United States are examining how to move ahead with preliminary trade negotiations, according to UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who met with her American counterpart last week. “We are discussing how we can establish a trade negotiation agreement, take forward immediate, high-level talks, lay the groundwork for a UK-US trade agreement, and identify the practical steps we can take now in order to enable companies in both countries to trade and do business with one another,” said UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday 27 January. May’s visit to Washington marked US President Donald Trump’s first visit from a foreign leader since taking office on 20 January. Along with the potential of providing substantive clues on the future UK-US relationship under these two new leaders, the visit was also looked to as an early test of their broader trade priorities, given the major political shifts being seen on both sides of the Atlantic. Details from the two officials as to the desired timeframe and mandate for this UK-US trade negotiation agreement were not described at the time. It was also not clear how this process would operate in parallel with the UK’s Brexit negotiations with...