World news story

The Prime Minister appoints UK Trade Envoy to Argentina

Mark Menzies MP will be responsible for maximising bilateral trade between the 2 countries.

Mark Menzies MP with chief of cabinet Marcos Peña

Mark Menzies MP with chief of cabinet Marcos Peña.

Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed Mark Menzies MP as her Trade Envoy to Argentina.

The announcement was made today in a message to Parliament from the UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox.

The Trade Envoy programme began in 2012 and it is now a network of 32 MPs selected by the Prime Minister to cover 64 markets. Trade Envoys are based in the UK and seek to enhance trade links with emerging markets where investment opportunities have been previously identified. The programme is an unpaid and voluntary cross-party network of MPs who support the UK’s trade and investment agenda in global markets.

Mark Menzies has been MP for Fylde, Lancashire, since 2010. He heads the British-Argentine All-Party Parliamentary Group and is also a member of the Finance and International Development Committees as well as Trade Envoy to Chile, Colombia and Peru.

During the bilateral meeting held by Prime Minister Theresa May and President Mauricio Macri last Friday in the framework of the G20 Summit, the leaders of both countries discussed possible ways to jointly increase bilateral trade and investment and welcomed the appointment of the first Trade Envoy to Argentina.

Trade in goods and services between the UK and Argentina amounts to more than £1.5 billion (2017 statistics). According to the latest data available, UK annual imports of goods and services from Argentina amount to £900 million, while exports total a little over £600 million.

Main British exports to Argentina include pharmaceuticals, energy, chemicals, metals, lab materials, drinks, vehicles and plastic goods. Argentina’s main exports to the UK are grain, primary products, animal feed and wine.

Published 6 December 2018