New round of talks between Washington and London for free trade agreement

Britain will hold a new round of talks with the United States on a trade agreement next week, Greg Hands, a minister at the British Ministry of Commerce, said yesterday, adding that the government is in talks with the two major American parties ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.

Britain gives priority to concluding a trade agreement with the United States, as it seeks to forge new labor relations around the world after its separation from the European Union and its exit from all trade agreements that were negotiated by the bloc.

"I can announce that the next round (of talks) will start next Tuesday, the eighth of September," Hands told Parliament.

The US presidential elections, which will be held in November, cast a shadow over the expectations of a US agreement and the possibility of a new administration taking over new priorities, but Hands sought to reduce the importance of those risks.

He added, "With regard to the United States, we are talking with all parties to the American political system, and we are keen to make sure that members of the Senate, Congress and governors from both parties in various parts of the United States support a future free trade agreement between Britain and the United States."

In addition, the Amazon Group announced, creating seven thousand permanent jobs in the United Kingdom by the end of the year, which constitutes support from the American e-commerce giant for the British economy, which is suffering the repercussions of the emerging coronavirus crisis.

According to "Reuters", "Amazon" said in a statement yesterday, "The company will add seven thousand new permanent jobs by the end of 2020 in more than 50 locations, including the company’s offices and two new order fulfillment centers."

In total, the size of the workforce in Britain will reach more than 40,000, an increase of a third within a year, at a time when the epidemic is causing an increase in the frequency of purchases on the Internet.

While many British retail stores have cut thousands of jobs following the lockdown measures, other stores, including Tesco, are in the process of creating many new jobs to respond to the high online purchase orders.

Stefano Perego, Amazon Vice President of the European Division of Customer Fulfillment Services, said his company "employs thousands of talented people in a variety of quality jobs, from operations managers and technology specialists to people handling customer orders" across the UK.

"Our employees have played an important role in serving customers in these unprecedented times, and new jobs will help us continue to meet customer demand, and support small and medium businesses that sell on Amazon," he added.

The company, which has created 3,000 permanent jobs in the UK this year, said yesterday it would create more than 20,000 quarterly jobs across the country ahead of the holidays.

Alok Sharma, Minister of Business, welcomed the announcement of the new jobs, amid expectations of a high unemployment rate in the United Kingdom following the end of the government next month the partial unemployment program due to Covid-19, which benefits millions of private sector workers.

"Although the period is challenging for many businesses, Amazon's vision of creating ten thousand jobs in the kingdom this year gives great hope," Sharma said.

"This is not only great news for those looking for a new job, but it is a clear vote of confidence in the British economy as we embark on building back better after the pandemic," he added.

The British economy shrank by one-fifth in the second quarter, more than any neighboring European country, while the closure measures pushed the country into its worst recession ever recorded, and many doubts remain about the strength and pace of the recovery.

Amazon’s announcement comes after it revealed plans last month to employ 3,500 people in its centers and offices across the United States.