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In November, the third round of U.K.-Türkiye Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations began in Ankara. I welcome these discussions and am delighted with their progress, even though they are long overdue. As two non-EU economies on Europe’s edge, we share common challenges and complementary strengths that make a close partnership both natural and necessary.
Expanding economic cooperation with Türkiye will only bolster the Turkish government’s mission for growth.
The country's economic relationship is already blossoming, with combined trade reaching £28 billion last year, a figure set to only increase.
This makes Türkiye the U.K.’s 17th largest trading partner, but I believe it should and could be far higher. There is much growth, and this is only the beginning.
Our current arrangement is largely ‘goods only,’ and current discussions seek to modernize this narrative, bringing in services and digital trade. Both the U.K. and Türkiye are services and technology juggernauts with boundless opportunities for collaboration.
I know personally of Türkiye’s educated, tech-savvy, and dynamic population.
My family in Istanbul and beyond has skills to rival any international peer. Among my cousins, uncles, and aunts, I count transplant surgeons, infrastructure engineers, and advanced technicians.
Our professionals should be able to share these skills seamlessly across our economies. Tufan Erginbilgic, himself of Turkish heritage, has already set a powerful example, serving as Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce, one of Britain’s most iconic firms.
I deeply appreciate how Türkiye is a country not afraid to embrace technology, embracing the AI revolution unabashedly. It is incredible to see the technological strides Türkiye is making. Initiatives such as ‘Digital Türkiye’ remind me of our Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, which I brought in during my time as the U.K.’s AI Minister.
Recently, I hosted representatives from Dijitalpark Teknokent. It was a pleasure hearing about their great work in Istanbul and making introductions to my colleagues. The economies of the future will be built around technology and AI, and the U.K. and Türkiye must build this future together.
We can start by better linking our world-class universities. When I speak to my nephews and nieces in Türkiye, they all dream of Harvard or MIT. Why must they go halfway across the world with Oxford and Cambridge on their doorstep?
Similarly, why do so few British students study at Türkiye’s top universities? In the academic year of 2023/24, only 6,555 Turkish students were enrolled in U.K. universities. That is a paltry sum, not reflective of our deep economic and political ties.
During my time in government, I brought in the Sparck Scholarships, which provide funding for master’s degrees specializing in artificial intelligence.
I encourage and welcome Türkiye’s thousands of talented students to apply. Our human capital is everything, and the relationship between our educational institutions should reflect this.
I was proud to see my government lobbying for the recent Eurofighter deal. In our more dangerous world, trade no longer has just economic implications but also important geopolitical and defense considerations.
I sit on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and I know the value we both bring to the alliance. In a world increasingly dominated by the two economic behemoths of the U.S. and China, we must strive for entrenched economic and political cooperation.
We will struggle to compete with their vast markets unless we better integrate our own. I speak with hundreds of entrepreneurs and businesses who feel the powerful pull of the US.
Our innovators should remain here. An FTA between our countries will promote the dynamism that will push them to build billion-dollar companies of the future in the UK or Türkiye, not elsewhere.
Perhaps my heritage gives me a particular perspective—one that allows me to recognize, even ahead of my eagle-eyed colleagues at the Department for Trade, that this Free Trade Agreement is long overdue.
The U.K. and Türkiye are dynamic economies with much to offer one another in technology, investment and trade, and I am excited about what the future holds for our partnership.
This is a defining moment. Having stepped back from government, I can now speak with clarity and conviction in support of an economic partnership that matters deeply to me and is vital to the shared prosperity of our nation. I call on all those with an interest in our long-term success to do the same.
About the author: Feryal Clark MP is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Enfield North since 2019. She served as the UK’s Minister for AI and Digital Government from July 2024 to September 2025. She is of Turkish-Kurdish heritage, hailing from Malatya. The views expressed are the authors' own.
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