The UK government, through sustained negotiations led by Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in discussions with Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, has finalised a landmark free trade agreement with India. The deal, described as the best ever concluded with India, is projected to increase bilateral trade by £25.5bn, add approximately £4.8bn to the UK economy, and boost wages by around £2.2bn each year over the long term.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced that the UK will host an International Investment Summit on 14 October 2024, bringing up to 300 industry leaders together with the aim of advancing opportunities for growth and investment across the country. The announcement sets out that the summit will enable global business leaders to hear directly from the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers on how the government will drive future investment and will make clear that the UK is 'open for business'. The summit is said to build 'on the UK’s ambition to maintain the highest sustained growth in the G7, working in partnership with the private sector to get the very best out of British industries'.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced that further action will be taken to aid secure the UK’s supplies of critical goods, such as medicines and smartphone chips, with the launch of a new Critical Imports Council. This builds upon the government’s Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy launched in January 2024. A new Council, Critical Imports Council, will bring together 23 industry experts and who will advise on securing resilience in UK supply chains of critical goods, This will subsequently provide collaboration in implementing the Strategy’s 18 actions, to ensure businesses have a central voice in shaping Government’s work to build supply chain resilience.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced the launch of negotiations between the UK and Malaysia on a Digital Trade Agreement (DTA). The UK-Malaysia bilateral trading relationship was valued at £6.4 billion in 2025. The proposed DTA is intended to facilitate cross-border data flows, reduce administrative burdens through digital systems and establish protections for personal data, intellectual property, online consumers and cybersecurity. It also aims to strengthen international digital and technology co-operation by supporting responsible innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence and data.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced the launch of three consultations on proposed reforms to UK product safety laws, with the aim of strengthening consumer protection and ensuring the regime remains effective in light of modern supply chains, technological developments, and the growth of online commerce. The consultations will close on 23 June 2026.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced that the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill has received Royal Assent, introducing new regulatory powers aimed at improving product safety standards across online marketplaces. The legislation responds to concerns about the sale of unsafe goods—particularly lithium-ion batteries linked to 211 reported fires in 2024 involving e-bikes and e-scooters—and seeks to align online platforms with the obligations placed on physical retailers. Under the Bill, marketplaces will be required to take steps to prevent unsafe products from being listed, ensure sellers meet product safety requirements, provide clear information to consumers and cooperate with regulators. The measures form part of the government’s Plan for Change and are expected to affect approximately 300,000 UK businesses operating in regulated product markets, with a combined turnover of £490bn.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced that UK artists will earn new royalties in Australia under the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement from 1 April 2024. Previously, UK artists would not have received any royalties when their artwork was resold in Australia. These artists will be able to claim resale royalties in line with the Australian system–currently 5% of the sale price of artworks sold commercially for AUS$1,000 or more–each time their art, including paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, is resold in the Australian professional art market. UK artists exported £10m of items to Australia in 2021, and art sales in the Australian market were worth over AUS$140 million in 2023. In addition, from 1 April 2024, artist’s resale right royalties in the UK will be calculated in pounds rather than euros to reflect the UK market better and reduce costs to UK businesses when calculating royalty payments. The Intellectual Property Office has also updated its guidance on artist’s resale right to reflect these 1 April 2024 changes.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced measures to tackle the poor state of local roads, including an additional £500m for highways maintenance this financial year and a £7.3bn investment over the next four years (2026–2030). The DfT notes that local highway authorities must publish transparency reports on maintenance plans, with progress assessed through annual ratings supported by scorecards on road condition, capital spend and best practice adoption. Additionally, targeted support, including peer reviews and innovation programmes, are intended to help authorities improve road quality and deliver safer, smoother and more reliable journeys.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced plans to introduce a new National Licensing Policy Framework aimed at modernising planning and licensing rules for the hospitality sector. The framework is intended to streamline the conversion of vacant retail spaces into hospitality venues and establish dedicated hospitality zones where permissions for alfresco dining, street parties and extended opening hours will be fast-tracked. As part of the reforms, the DBT will incorporate the Agent of Change principle into national planning and licensing policy, making developers responsible for soundproofing their buildings constructed near existing pubs, clubs or music venues. These proposals will be subject to a call for evidence, to be published in due course.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced a package of reforms aimed at tackling subscription traps, alongside publishing its response to a consultation on implementing a new subscription contracts regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024). The measures are intended to address consumer harm arising from unwanted or misleading subscription arrangements and are expected to deliver savings of approximately £400 million per year.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced the restoration of the UK's Country Specific Quota for Category 17 steel products, effective 1 August 2025. The European Commission's decision enables UK steel producers to export up to 27,000 tons per quarter to the EU without tariffs. The measure reinstates pre-existing trade arrangements and follows negotiations between UK-EU officials, implementing commitments made at the May 2025 UK-EU Summit. The quota applies specifically to construction steel products including support beams and affects trade relationships between 1,145 UK steel firms and their EU customers.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced the results of a pilot programme conducted with businesses trading between the UK and Japan, aimed at digitalising trade documentation processes. The pilot demonstrated that documentary credit checks performed by banks were reduced from 10 days to 1 hour. Participating UK businesses also reported cost savings from eliminating paper-based shipping documents, a reduced administrative burden due to automated processes and improved supply chain efficiency. The programme complements the UK’s broader digital trade corridor programme, which is also being developed with France and Germany.