The British Film Institute privately urged UK ministers not to include the film and television industry in any trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, warning that such a move could cause “fundamental harm” to Britain’s screen sector. According to a policy paper sent to the Foreign Office in May 2025, the BFI argued that a deal covering audiovisual services and subsidies could limit the UK’s ability to favor domestic companies through future tax breaks, grants, and other support schemes.
The BFI also warned that a UK-U.S. screen industry agreement could anger the European Union and trigger retaliation against British films and television shows. Under current EU rules, UK productions still count as “European works” and can help broadcasters and streaming services meet quota requirements. The BFI said that if this status were withdrawn, the impact could be severe because the EU is the UK’s largest film export market, accounting for 51% of exports compared with 20% to the United States.
In the paper, titled A Potential UK/US Trade Deal: Why Audiovisual Services and Subsidies Must Be Excluded, the BFI said any reference to audiovisual services in trade negotiations should be limited to protecting the UK’s existing intellectual property framework, not changing rules in ways that could damage creators and creative businesses. It stressed that the UK should keep control over its own cultural and regulatory policies.
The document also raised concerns about artificial intelligence. The BFI warned that a trade deal could increase pressure on the UK to adopt a more permissive copyright regime favored by U.S. AI companies, potentially allowing greater use of copyrighted material without proper protection. The paper said this would put “at serious risk” the livelihoods of businesses and workers across the creative industries.
The briefing surfaced on Monday after the government released more than 1,000 pages of records related to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the United States. Mandelson was removed from the post last year over links to Jeffrey Epstein. The BFI paper was described as sensitive and was included in material disclosed alongside those documents.
The film and television sector was not part of the economic agreement Trump signed with the UK last year, when he was still threatening a 100% tariff on film imports. In an email attached to the BFI briefing, a film body representative warned a former Foreign Office chief of staff that such tariffs would have major negative consequences for the UK’s film and high-end television industry, given the large amount of U.S. investment in British productions.
The BFI declined to comment further on the matter.
