Is the trade agreement with Florida a Brexit win?

A trade deal with the US has long been a holy grail for Brexiteers, not least because it is something that the EU has failed to achieve. Barack Obama told us we would have to go to the back of the queue, then Donald Trump told us we were at the front of the queue. Unfortunately, though, Trump wasn’t minded to serve anyone before being replaced by Joe Biden, who has shown a similar lack of interest in trade deals. Indeed, Biden has returned the US to an age of protectionism through his bizarrely-named Inflation Reduction Act, which offers grants and subsidies to green industries – so long as they are based in the US.

But Britain has now worked out an alternative strategy for the US: carry on dealing with the federal government, but work on agreements with individual states while you are waiting. The latest instalment is a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with Florida, signed by Governor Ron de Santis and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch today.