Brexit trade MAPPED: 21 non-EU countries UK is negotiating with REVEALED
INTERNATIONAL TRADE SECRETARY Liam Fox last week revealed Britain is hoping to roll out 40 European Union trade deals at the end of the Brexit transition period in December 2020. Express.co.uk can reveal 21 non-EU states the UK is already talking to.
Liam Fox on trade deals: We are working with 21 countries
The leading Cabinet Brexiteer was buoyant on the UK’s future possibilities with the 40 trade agreements expected to cover as many as 70 countries when the nation is entirely free of EU’s grip on trade.
Britain will have to abide by the current EU trade deals during the transition period but will be able to hold trade talks across, however, only if they do not come into force until January 1, 2021.
Dr Fox hopes to have as many as 40 of the EU’s current agreements in place for Britain’s use by the time transition is over.
He said: “We will have arrangements that we will be able to roll over from the European Union’s agreements, we hope to have around 40 of those.
Brexit news: International Trade Department are working with 21 countries on post-Brexit deals
We’ve got 14 working groups in place with 21 countries at the present time
“We hope we will have all of those in place by the time we go.”
Those 40 agreements cover about 70 countries, with the International Trade Department hopeful to have them all fully rolled over “because they are extensions of what we have at the moment”.
But now with Britain able to break past EU trade barriers, Dr Fox told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he wants the UK to take advantage of “being able to negotiate beyond the European Union’s borders”.
He said: “We’ve got 14 working groups in place with 21 countries at the present time, I’d hope to make as much progress as possible because we need to have a confident and optimistic agenda for Britain’s future."
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Express.co.uk can now reveal the list of 21 nations from outside the EU the UK’s trade negotiators are discussing post-Brexit futures with.
1: Peru
2: Colombia
3: Ecuador
4: Australia
5: Canada
6: China
7: Bahrain
8: Kuwait
9: Oman
10: Qatar
11: Saudi Arabia
12: UAE
13: Israel
14: India
15: Japan
16: Mexico
17: New Zealand
18: Norway
19: South Korea
20: Turkey
21: USA
International Trade Department have 14 working groups negotiating with 21 non-EU countries
Britain will not be able to conclude trade deals with the listed countries until the Brexit implementation period comes to an end in December 2020, leading Dr Fox to issue a stark warning to Theresa May about potentially extending the transition.
The International Trade Secretary warned the Prime Minister he would walk out of the Cabinet if she attempts to extend the Brexit transition.
He said he’d refuse to back a lengthening of the current period, insisting it is not what he or the people want to see happen.
Dr Fox said: “I wouldn’t like to see that, nor would I support an extension.
“The public would’ve an extension beyond 2020 as too slow, given that it would be a number of years since the referendum.”
However, Downing Street remains confident the implementation period will not go on further than the current timescales.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “We’ve been clear on the implementation being a fixed time-limited period – that remains the case.”