The United Kingdom has reached an agreement to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) after two years of negotiations. This represents the country’s biggest trade deal since Brexit, and will allow Britain unparalleled access to markets in the Indo-Pacific region. The UK’s membership of the CPTPP is expected to boost its economy by £1.8 billion in the long run, with wages expected to rise by £800m from 2019 levels. The free trade agreement also removes tariffs on over 99% of UK goods exported to CPTPP countries, including cars, cheese, chocolate, machinery, gin and whisky. The UK is the first European country to join the CPTPP, a trade bloc that includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The deal has been hailed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said it put the UK in a prime position in the global economy. Critics have argued that the deal is insignificant compared to the UK’s trade with the European Union.