UK, Switzerland announce services free trade deal; UK sees £5.2 billion annual export boost

According to CNBC, the U.K. and Switzerland announced a services free trade agreement on Monday that the British government estimates will eventually unlock £5.2 billion ($6.96 billion) a year in additional exports to Switzerland over the coming years. The deal, the U.K.’s sixth trade agreement in two years, also includes a separate arrangement allowing travelers between the two countries to use e-gates at airports and removing data roaming charges for visitors. U.K. Minister for Trade Policy Chris Bryant said the agreement is the best services deal the country has made so far and added that the government wants trade with the European Union to be as frictionless as possible, saying he believes the U.K.’s “historic destiny” is to rejoin the bloc.