British businesses given continued access to £1.3tn of global contracts

At a meeting in Geneva, the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) Committee confirmed the UK can join the GPA as an independent nation from 1 January 2021, after previously participating through membership of the EU.

The agreement ensures UK businesses can compete fairly for overseas procurement contracts, benefiting a range of British businesses from across the UK that work with international governments.

"Today’s announcement will provide British businesses with the certainty they need to continue bidding for £1.3 trillion worth of government procurement contracts overseas, which will ultimately help deliver the growth and jobs we need to recover from the economic challenges of coronavirus," said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss.

"It is another significant step towards re-establishing Britain as a major force in global trade and a truly independent trading nation."

The UK’s permanent representative to the WTO, Julian Braithwaite, confirmed that the decision is the result of two years of negotiations in the WTO.

"We fought hard to gain independent access to the GPA agreement, so that businesses of all sizes and from all corners of the UK can continue to benefit from this important deal," he said.

The GPA is an agreement between 20 parties and 48 WTO members, including major economies such as the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan, which acts to open government procurement markets among its participants.