Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK) have maintained close relations over many years founded on similar ideas in areas such as the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, social and economic order, and good governance, and with a special focus on economic and financial market issues.
For Switzerland and the UK, the decision by a majority of UK voters to leave the EU (Brexit referendum of 23 June 2016) means that numerous provisions which are currently regulated under EU law will have to be negotiated bilaterally in future. With its Mind the Gap strategy, the Federal Council laid the groundwork for a new legal basis for the relationship between Switzerland and the UK after the UK's withdrawal from the EU. To this end, Switzerland and the UK have concluded new agreements covering trade, migration, road and air transport, and insurance.