U.K. and Turkey expected to sign continuity trade deal Tuesday

The U.K. expects to sign a continuity agreement with Turkey on Tuesday to roll over tariff-free trade arrangements worth 18.6 billion pounds ($25 billion) last year.

“It will provide certainty for thousands of jobs across the U.K. in the manufacturing, automotive and steel industries,” Trade Secretary Liz Truss said in an email. “We now look forward to working with Turkey towards an ambitious tailor-made U.K.-Turkey trade agreement in the near future.”

The deal, which will be the first signed since the U.K. reached a trade accord with the European Union on Dec. 24, will be signed this week subject to approval from the bloc, which has a Customs Union agreement with Ankara, Truss’s office said.