Coronavirus and the US-UK Free Trade Agreement

The coronavirus has roiled global commerce. How will this pandemic influence trade policy? The upcoming US-UK negotiations will serve as a test.

A U.S.-UK trade deal has been in the works for years. It gets outsized attention because Britain’s “Brexit” from Europe presents both sides with a “greenfield” opportunity to get things right. In the face of the coronavirus, this will be challenging.

The United States and Britain enjoy deep economic ties. The UK is America’s single largest source of foreign direct investment, and the U.S. is among Britain’s foremost trade partners, in terms of both go...