Member Article

Latest BritishAmerican Business Road Show highlights US trade boom in Liverpool

A panel of expert speakers from business and government are meeting at the IFB Hub in Liverpool to highlight the local implications of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations currently underway.

A successful free trade agreement between the US and the EU would break down trade barriers, saving exporters millions of pounds, generate new jobs, and create a massive new marketplace representing 47% of the world’s output.

A successful deal is projected to add £10 billion to the UK economy every year. This will also mean consumers and businesses in Liverpool stand to gain from lower prices and increased choice.

Speakers include Jeffries Briginshaw, Managing Director, BritishAmerican Business; Clive Drinkwater, Director, UKTI North West Richard Currie, Director Public Affairs, UPS; Paul Griffiths, Deputy Head Transatlantic & International Unit at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills; Larry Stone, President, Group Public and Government Affairs, BT Group, and a US Embassy Representative.

Max Steinberg, Chair of IFB 2014, said: “As a city, Liverpool has always enjoyed close links with the US, culturally and economically. You only need to look at how important the American market is to our visitor economy to see that the cultural links are as strong as ever, and I believe that TTIP can be a catalyst in developing closer trade relationships.

“As we come to the end of the successful International Festival for Business, there is no better time for Liverpool businesses to look to the US.”

Jeffries Briginshaw, Managing Director of BritishAmerican Business in London, said: “Through our road show process we have been able to test some of the high level policy rhetoric surrounding TTIP and find out what’s really happening at the grass roots – what will TTIP do to improve the SME experience of exporting to the US for example?

“We are shining a torch and looking for local, specific and tangible benefits that an agreement could have for everyday business - benefits often overlooked by the professional campaigns paid to the negotiations.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .