The United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Sri Lanka, Lord Hannett of Everton, will return to Colombo for a three-day visit from June 17 to 19, his second to the country within the span of a year, NewsFirst reported.
The visit will focus on strengthening trade and investment links through high-level meetings with government and private sector stakeholders, with the UK signalling continued support for Sri Lanka’s reform agenda and a more transparent and predictable business environment.
Lord Hannett is scheduled to meet Minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti and Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe, alongside senior officials from the Export Development Board (EDB) and the Department of Commerce. Discussions are expected to centre on improving access for UK businesses in Sri Lanka and expanding Sri Lankan export opportunities under the UK’s Developing Countries Trade Scheme — the post-Brexit duty-free framework that replaced the previous GSP+ arrangement.
Beyond government talks, the envoy will engage with the Council for Business with Britain, apparel industry representatives, small and medium-sized exporters and young entrepreneurs. Ahead of the visit, Lord Hannett said in remarks reported by NewsFirst that he “looks forward to meeting government partners and business leaders to explore new ways to support growth and create opportunities on both sides,” and pointed to the UK’s commitment to helping its businesses succeed internationally while building mutually beneficial partnerships.
The trip comes immediately after the formal launch of Sri Lanka’s National Export Development Plan 2026–2030, which sets a US$36 billion export target by 2030 and identifies apparel-adjacent sectors as priorities for value addition. The UK remains one of Sri Lanka’s largest single-country export markets, with apparel and tea dominating the trade flow.
Source: NewsFirst, June 16
Update — June 18: DCTS zero-tariff access framed as anchor of bilateral push
Lord Hannett and British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick met Minister Handunnetti on Wednesday to explore what the British High Commission in Colombo described as practical measures to strengthen bilateral trade ties. Newswire reported that the discussions focused on making stronger use of the zero-tariff access already granted to Sri Lankan exports under the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme — a scheme the envoy framed as under-utilised — and on the need for a transparent and predictable business environment in Sri Lanka to draw long-term investor commitments.
