International Trade Secretary to consult UK businesses on best Brexit trade strategy

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox is ‘urging’ people to have their say on how the government approaches trade negotiations once the country leaves the EU.

Dr Fox will be speaking at a town hall event in Birmingham today (Monday October 1) where he is to seek the views of businesses based in the West Midlands and call for people across the country to take part in four online consultations.

The consultations focus on new free trade agreements with the USA, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the UK potentially joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Exports of goods to the USA, Australia, New Zealand and the Trans Pacific Partnership countries were worth £12.7bn for the West Midlands in 2017.

More than £1 in every £6 of the region’s goods exports were said to have gone to countries covered by these trading relationships.

Dr Liam Fox said: “For the first time in over 40 years, we will be able to determine the terms of our trade. That means new trade agreements with our key partners, as well as putting the UK at the heart of the world’s fastest growing regions such as Asia.

“The US, Australia, New Zealand and countries around the Pacific buy a sixth of all the goods the West Midlands produces and new trade agreements will create even more opportunities for established exporters as well as those looking to go global for the first time.

“We are committed to forging new trading relationships that create jobs, boost our vital industries and benefit consumers across the whole of the UK. I urge everyone to seize the opportunity to take part in the consultations and make their voices heard.”

Getting free trade agreements with these countries is said to be important in fulfilling the new ambition set by the government’s Export Strategy to increase exports to 35 per cent of GDP.

Members of the public can submit their views as part of four online consultations which are open until October 26, lasting for a total of 14 weeks - two weeks longer than the European Union’s consultations on new free trade agreements.

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