UK and Switzerland seal £5.2bn trade deal with e-gate access for Britons
10 reported
A £5.2bn trade deal between the UK and Switzerland, likely the last major international agreement of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will allow British nationals to use e-gates at Swiss airports and border crossings starting later this year. The deal also scraps mobile phone roaming charges and covers continued terms of trade in medicines, cars, art, jewellery, and photographic materials. The UK’s Department for Business and Trade said it hopes to unlock £5.2bn a year in additional UK services exports to Switzerland in the long run. Switzerland is the UK’s sixth biggest market for services, worth about £30bn a year, mainly in financial and services sectors. Starmer described the deal as the “sixth landmark agreement” in his two years as prime minister, including tariff deals with the US and trade deals with India, South Korea, and Gulf states. The agreement includes visa-free travel for up to 90 days a year for UK services professionals, while longer stays still require a visa route with sponsor companies. The UK government confirmed that youth mobility was not discussed, and that Swiss wine could be imported duty free with simpler border procedures.
What’s reported
British nationals will be able to use e-gates at Swiss airports and border crossings as part of the deal, starting with exit checks at Zurich airport later this year, followed by Basel and Geneva next year.
Mobile phone roaming charges will be scrapped as part of the agreement.
The deal covers continued trade terms in medicines, cars, art, jewellery, photographic materials, and other goods.
The UK’s Department for Business and Trade hopes to “unlock £5.2bn a year in additional UK services exports to Switzerland in the long run.”
Switzerland is the UK’s sixth biggest market for services, worth about £30bn a year, mainly in financial and services sectors.
Starmer described the deal as the “sixth landmark agreement” in his two years as prime minister, including tariff deals with the US and trade deals with India, South Korea, and Gulf states.
The deal includes visa-free travel for up to 90 days a year to Switzerland for UK services professionals.
The UK government confirmed that youth mobility was not discussed as part of the agreement.
Swiss wine could be imported to the UK duty free with simpler border procedures.
Both sides will continue existing pharmaceutical patent protections.
Key figures
Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister
Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the CBI business lobby group
Chris Hayward, City of London Corporation policy chair
Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
Mark Samuels, chief executive of Medicines UK
Sources: The Guardian
