London – Today, the International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced the formal launch of trade agreement negotiations between the UK and the U.S.

The opening of formal trade talks between the United Kingdom and the United States is the beginning of something significant.

Thank you very much, it’s fantastic to be here this afternoon with so many brilliant women, from politics, from the lobby, and from Whitehall, who we are celebrating today.

Introduction

I am delighted to be the first Trade Secretary to represent the UK’s independent voice at an international meeting since Peter Walker, almost half a century ago.

I beg to move,

That this House has considered global Britain.

Thank you very much Emma Wade-Smith, HM Trade Commissioner for Africa and thank you very much too to the Lionesses of Africa for organising this fantastic evening. And congratulations on reaching the one million figure, it is really great to hear.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. I would like to start by thanking Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček for choosing London as the venue for this prestigious event marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

This is an issue that I have been passionate about since I was a girl and I was presented with a ‘Junior Air Hostess’ badge on the plane by KLM and my brothers were given ‘Junior Pilot Badges’ and I thought “that is unfair” and that is what radicalised me.

Britain & free trade

We know that free trade, facilitated by the rules based multilateral trading system, is an engine of global growth and prosperity.

Good evening – I’m delighted to welcome our honoured guests, Vice President Pence and Mrs Pence, and Ambassador Johnson and Mrs Johnson. They are huge friends of Britain and I’m thrilled that they are able to join us tonight.