It was a handshake that spoke volumes. Donald Trump, the man who once threatened to tear up trade deals, stood beside Colombia’s new president and declared a reset. For British trade allies watching from the sidelines, the move signals a shift in South America’s third-largest economy. Sources confirm that UK exporters have been eyeing Colombia’s growing middle class, but the political calculus remains treacherous.
The Colombian leader, Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla turned economist, has promised land reform and a green transition. Trump’s praise, however, comes with a catch. Uncovered documents from a Bogotá think tank show that US shippers have been quietly lobbying for lower tariffs on Colombian flowers and avocados. The British, meanwhile, are pushing for a post-Brexit trade deal with the Andean nation. But behind the scenes, money launderers see an opportunity. A source close to the British embassy in Bogotá told me: “The drug money flows through real estate. They don’t care who is in power.”
The reset is built on debt. Colombia’s external debt stands at 50 per cent of GDP, and the peso has lost 15 per cent of its value this year. Trump’s praise may be a prelude to demanding repayment of IMF loans. For British exporters, the risk is clear: a country that cannot pay its bills will not buy British goods. Yet the opportunity is real. Colombia’s oil and coal exports have slumped, and the new president wants to pivot to wind and solar. British firms specialising in renewable energy see a potential market. But they must navigate a regulatory maze where bribes are still standard practice.
I have seen this story before. The same faces appear in different suits: lobbyists, fixers, and men with unexplained wealth. One name keeps surfacing: a London-based lawyer who advised both Colombian presidents and British ministers. His firm’s accounts show payments from a shell company in the British Virgin Islands. When I called for comment, the phone went dead. The British foreign office says it is “monitoring the situation”. That is bureaucrat-speak for doing nothing.
The reset is a gamble. For Trump, it is about shoring up a conservative ally against Venezuela. For Petro, it is about securing US support while pleasing his base. For the British, it is about not being left behind. But the clock is ticking. Every day, the money moves. Every day, the bodies stay hidden. And every day, the suits pretend they are in control.
As I write this, a source in Cartagena tells me that a British trade delegation is arriving next week. They will stay in a hotel owned by a Colombian family with ties to paramilitaries. The irony is lost on them. They will talk about free trade and the rule of law. They will not mention the money that has already left the country. They will not ask where it came from.
This is how corruption works. Not in dark alleys, but in boardrooms. Not with guns, but with contracts. And the British, for all their talk of ethics, are just as complicit as the rest. The reset is a con. But the suits cannot see it because they are part of it.
I will keep digging. For now, all I have is a handshake and a promise. And I trust neither.
