This month's updates from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC)

►  UK-Türkiye Negotiations Update William Bain took part in a roundtable meeting with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) on negotiations for an upgraded trade agreement with Türkiye on services and digital trade. Negotiations are likely to begin in the summer.

►  UK-EU Leaders Summit The BCC has secured or made strong progress on five of its top seven priorities at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19th May at Lancaster House. The team engaged directly with senior Cabinet Office officials on the morning of the summit.

►  US Tariffs President Trump issued a new Proclamation increasing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US to 50% from Wednesday, with the exception of the UK, where duties remain at 25%, pending implementation of the Economic Prosperity Agreement.

►  DBT Trade Policy Engagement William Bain, BCC Head of Trade Policy, took part in meetings of the new EU Files Forum, focusing on the General Product Safety Regulation, and the Services and Digital Trade Forum.

►  Post-UK-EU summit roundtable William Bain, BCC Head of Trade Policy, participated in a business and voluntary sector stakeholder roundtable in Edinburgh with H.E. Pedro Serrano, European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom, discussing future progress on implementing the outcomes of the UK-EU summit in May.

►  Global Trade Review Conference William Bain spoke at the GTR Conference on trade, new tariffs, and how companies and governments can best adapt to maximise sales in the changed global landscape since the beginning of 2025.