New U.K. consul general looks to grow B.C. trade as CPTPP opens another route to Britain

Danial Shaikh, who arrived in Vancouver in mid-August as the United Kingdom's consul general for B.C., Yukon and the Northwest Territories, says his job is to network and expand trade between Britain and the province, Business in Vancouver reported.

Trade between the two remains small. BC Stats data shows that in 2025 just $342.9 million of $54.7 billion in B.C.-origin exports, less than one per cent, went to the U.K., while about 51 per cent, or $27.9 billion, went to the U.S. In the first seven months of 2026, the U.S. share slipped to 47.8 per cent.

The U.K.'s membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership took effect between Canada and Britain on Sept. 1, 2026, adding to the Canada-U.K. Trade Continuity Agreement in place since 2021. Shaikh described the overlapping agreements as "layers" that let exporters choose whichever deal suits a given product.

Several B.C. companies are already expanding in Britain, including Surrey-based Safe Software, which planned to hire up to 10 people for the U.K. and Ireland, and Coquitlam-based Photonic Inc., which announced a £25 million quantum research facility there. Shaikh, a career diplomat who previously served in Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, China and Brazil, is scheduled to lead the Vancouver consulate until mid-2030.