Britain and Switzerland concluded negotiations on Monday on a comprehensive free trade agreement that moves beyond the post-Brexit stopgap arrangements. The deal makes permanent a temporary scheme allowing business travellers to provide services for up to 90 days without a work permit, scraps mobile roaming charges, and will permit UK passport holders to use Swiss e-gates at Zurich airport from the end of this year. The British government estimates the agreement could increase annual UK services exports to Switzerland by £5.2 billion in the long run.

The accord updates the legal framework that had been governed by a 2019 rollover of a 1972 EU-Swiss trade pact, which covered mainly goods. The new text introduces detailed chapters on digital trade, data flows, intellectual property, public procurement, and the cross-border mobility of professionals. Swiss officials described the agreement as a “geopolitical signal” in favour of open markets and rules-based cooperation at a time of growing trade fragmentation. Britain’s trade secretary, Peter Kyle, called it the most significant services trade deal the UK has ever negotiated.

The conclusion of the talks comes as other major economies pursue bilateral trade frameworks outside the European Union. On the same day, the EU and Bahrain announced the launch of negotiations on a strategic partnership agreement, with a focus on regional security, freedom of navigation, and economic cooperation. Bahrain currently holds the presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council and will serve as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2026–27. Viewed from London and Bern, the flurry of deal-making reflects a shared determination to lock in predictable trading rules amid the tariff disputes initiated by the Trump administration.

The agreement is expected to be signed before the end of the year, though the timeline may be complicated by the imminent departure of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is in his final weeks in office before being replaced by Andy Burnham. Once signed, the deal will require domestic approval procedures in both countries. Commentators in Zurich note that while the agreement sets a high standard for services trade, it does not create a common legal framework or provide for the free movement of persons, illustrating the limits of a free trade agreement compared with single market participation.