I visited the US as part of an exchange, to learn more about the American legislative and political system and to discuss future trading opportunities between our two countries.
The British American Parliamentary Group exchange program is an annual initiative, commenced in 1977, to promote friendly relations and mutual understanding between the two nations. Through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, this annual exchange welcomes British MPs to the United States to explore U.S. politics and the legislative process at both federal and state levels.
My visit began in Washington, DC, where I met with several U.S. government representatives. These encounters provided an opportunity to develop contacts with members of Congress, to understand different players in the U.S. political process, and to examine domestic, trade and foreign policy issues that drive politics. I then met with Republican House Representative Martha Roby from Alabama in Congress as voting takes place on Budgets and 'Obamacare'.
I was then matched with a counterpart in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, representative for Nebraska (1st District). Jeff hosted me in Nebraska to provide insight into U.S. politics at the local level. Finally, I visited Boston, Massachusetts to observe the state legislative process and visit a state capital.
In the final stage of the trip, I returned to Washington for final meetings on US-UK collaboration on Trade and business at the US congress and Whitehouse before heading home to the UK. The trip also coincided with Liam Fox’s, Secretary of State for International Trade, trip to discuss a future trade deal between the two countries.
There are huge opportunities for growth for businesses in Fareham that export services and goods, the US will be a very large and lucrative export market for the UK. That is why securing a good trade deal and working to strengthen our already strong relations is so important, and this was really the focus of our talks.
We had a great response from the members of congress, who expressed a clear desire to trade more with the UK, so in the near future businesses in Fareham should certainly look westward for new trading opportunities.
We also had very constructive to discussions on issues such as counter-terrorism and security with Congressmen from all over the US. We share lots of common challenges and I received a brilliant insight into how our security services work so closely together to combat extremism and terrorism.’