Does the new ‘trade deal’ with Florida mean Brexit Britain is finally making progress?

As the government proudly announces it has signed a trade and investment agreement with the Sunshine State, Sean O’Grady asks if this is really our first peak at Brexit’s ‘sunlit uplands’ or just more empty blue-sky thinking

The agreement is unlikely to lead to cheaper holidays for British citizens – though there are some positives (AP)

Kemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary, has heralded a new “trade deal” with the state of Florida as a Brexit breakthrough and said that it “shows our US state-level strategy is working and delivering for UK firms, giving them a competitive edge in some of the most exciting markets in the world”.

Signed by the governor of Florida and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, the memorandum of understanding aims to raise trade and investment, particularly in such areas as space, AI and financial technology (fintech).

This is the seventh such agreement with an individual state – Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah and Washington preceded Florida. These territories have a combined GDP of £3.3 trillion, just less than the GDP of Germany. Next up could be Texas, California, Colorado, and Illinois.