The United Kingdom is expected to sign an ambitious liberalising trade pact with Australia, its first major new trade deal since leaving the EU, following a row between ministers on whether to open up the UK market to meat imports.
On Friday (21 May), UK officials confirmed that under the deal set to be offered to Australia, tariffs and quotas on goods trade between the two countries would be phased out over 15 years. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to conclude the deal before a G7 summit that he will host in June.
The ability to cut free trade pacts without the restraints of the EU was touted by Brexiteers as one of the main economic reasons to leave the bloc during and after the 2016 referendum on EU membership.