On 1 September 2026 in Dubai, the UK’s new Minister of State for Trade Anas Sarwar told The National that Britain is ready to sign the UK-Gulf Cooperation Council (UK-GCC) Free Trade Agreement “within weeks, not months”, and to start preparatory work on a separate bilateral UK-UAE trade agreement. We unpack what is on the table, the numbers already baked into the GCC text, and what it means for business on the UK-UAE corridor.
The headline quote: ‘weeks, not months’
Anas Sarwar is the UK’s new Minister of State for Trade, for whom the late-August / early-September 2026 trip to Saudi Arabia and the UAE was his first international visit outside Europe in the trade portfolio. He gave The National an on-record interview at the end of the trip (author Salim A. Essaid, published 1 September 2026 at 18:13 GMT).
The two headline quotes. On intent: “We’re ready to sign the GCC deal. We’re ready to start the preparatory work on what a bilateral agreement would look like, between the UK and the UAE.” On timeline: “I want this to be discussions that are talking about weeks rather than months. Certainly don’t want to be discussions that are going on for years.”
The reference is to the already-negotiated text of the UK-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement. Talks opened in June 2022 and concluded in May 2026 — after almost four years. The deal now sits in ‘awaiting signature’ status: negotiation is closed; what remains is the physical signature and each side’s domestic ratification and entry-into-force procedures.
What the UK-GCC text already delivers — numbers and rules
Per the UK government’s official conclusion summary (Department for Business and Trade, ‘UK-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Trade Deal’ collection on gov.uk), the long-run impact is:
- bilateral UK-GCC trade rising by 19.8% and adding roughly $20.96 billion a year to bilateral flows over the long run;
- elimination of tariffs on UK exporters worth about $784 million a year at today’s trade structure, of which $486 million will be removed on day one;
- context: the GCC as a bloc is already Britain’s 10th-largest trading partner, with £53 billion ($71 billion) in goods and services trade in 2025. British food and drink exports to the GCC were worth $1.13 billion in 2025; UK car exports $1.89 billion.
Beyond tariff cuts, the text carries a digital chapter (permanent ban on customs duties on electronic transmissions, promotion of paperless trade, encouragement of electronic Bills of Lading), simplified customs procedures (goods clearing customs within 48 hours, or within 6 hours for perishables), transparency commitments on business-travel visa requirements, and online consumer protection rules.
The separate UK-UAE bilateral track
As of the 1 September 2026 interview, the bilateral UK-UAE agreement is at the earliest possible stage — ‘begin preparatory work’: there is no separate text yet; the two sides have agreed to open substantive discussions once the UK-GCC deal is signed.
The economic case for a stand-alone bilateral is the strongest in the region. Per UK government figures (gov.uk):
- UK-UAE trade stood at £25 billion in 2025 — the Emirates is Britain’s largest trading partner in the GCC and 20th globally;
- the UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership, launched in 2021, has delivered more than £30 billion in investment commitments into Britain;
- the UK is also the largest holder of investment stock in the UAE;
- more than 10,000 British businesses are based in the Emirates and more than 200,000 British nationals live there.
Sarwar told The National he held a ‘positive and energetic’ meeting with UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, focused on ‘turning the relationship into new deals’, and visited DP World for talks on investment and infrastructure.
Sector-by-sector: who wins in the UAE
Goods trade. Full or substantial tariff cuts on industrial products, food and drink and cars from day one. For UAE-based firms trading with British partners it is an opportunity to revisit pricing and logistics under the new rules.
Financial and legal services. Expanded market-access commitments for UK firms in the GCC and vice versa. For DIFC and ADGM firms it means additional client and partner flow from Britain and easier structuring of projects under UK legal mechanisms with lighter document recognition.
AI infrastructure and cloud. The digital chapter protects cross-border data flows and bans duties on electronic transmissions — critical for UAE data centres serving UK clients and for UK firms hosting AI models and cloud services in the Emirates.
Infrastructure: airports, ports, railways. Sarwar specifically flagged that Dubai talks covered UAE airport and railway expansion projects with UK expertise, investment and export finance. From the UK side the priority areas he named include renewables and small modular nuclear reactors, aviation, ports, defence, AI data centres, and financial and legal services.
SMEs. Simplified customs procedures (48 hours / 6 hours for perishables), electronic trade documents, and single online reference information in English lower the entry barrier for smaller firms both ways.
The wider picture: UAE as ‘the most connected economy’
UK-GCC is not the only direction. 2026 is a period of active expansion of the UAE’s trade network: CEPA agreements with India, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia and other countries are already in force, and the UK deal via the GCC will add Britain — its 10th-largest trading partner — to that pool. For the broader read on what this means for business and investors, see the UAE economy 2026 outlook — drivers and key trends.
Sarwar tied UK policy directly to this shift: Britain’s goal is to become ‘the most connected economy in the world’, with the UAE and the wider Gulf playing ‘a significant role’. The GCC agreement, in his words, should be ‘the foundation for deeper relationships with individual countries across the region’ — which is why Britain’s next move is a bilateral with the Emirates.
What UAE-based businesses on the UK corridor should do next 3-6 months
- Audit HS codes and current tariff exposure at GCC/UK customs: even the day-one partial reduction (up to $486 million a year in UK-exporter savings per gov.uk) is reason to revisit pricing and logistics.
- For UK firms with UAE plans: the bilateral UK-UAE track will separately advance on services and investment, while existing UAE tools (100% foreign ownership on the mainland, free zones, Golden Visa) are already available.
- Track official releases from the UK Department for Business and Trade (gov.uk) and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade (Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi) — they will be first to publish the signing date and entry-into-force schedule.
- Revisit UK counterparty contracts on a 12-24 month horizon: build in triggers for UK-GCC entry into force so new tariff schedules and simplified customs procedures apply automatically.
