The UK Joint Apparel Association Forum has requested the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade to immediately approach the UK authorities to recommence a dialogue on preferential arrangements as an extremely high priority trade agenda item. If a negotiated trade deal takes place, then a 21-month transition period up to December 31, 2020 has been agreed upon by both parties to put everything in place and allow businesses and others to prepare for the moment when the new post Brexit deal between the EU and UK begins. In fact, during this period, UK can negotiate any trade deals.

In the absence of a bilateral preferential agreement, the UK will rely on WTO rules to deal with all countries. On the other hand if there is no deal by the given date or the proposed deal, if any, is rejected by the British Parliament, UK will simply withdraw from the European Union with no transitional arrangement in place.