Liam Fox in Washington to kick off US trade talks
2 min read
Liam Fox is in Washington today for talks designed to lay the groundwork of a post-Brexit trade deal with the US.
The International Trade Secretary will spend two days in Washington with US counterpart Robert Lighthizer.
While the UK cannot sign any trade deal until fully withdrawn from the European Union, the visit will see the creation of a working group between the two countries with the aim of strengthening businesses ties.
Dr Fox said: “Although it's too early to say exactly what would be covered in a potential deal, the working group is the means to ensure we get to know each other's issues and identify areas where we can work together to strengthen trade and investment ties.”
Trade between the two countries is already worth over £150bn a year, and the Secretary of State said that figure could rise by a further £40bn through the removal of other “barriers” to trade.
The trip comes the day after the Tory minister said it was “not a huge deal” how long any transition period with the EU lasts beyond Brexit.
CHLORINATED CHICKEN
Meanwhile, a Cabinet split over whether to allow imports of controversial “chlorine washed” chicken could cause an early stumbling block in talks between the US and UK, according to the Telegraph.
The paper say a rift is developing between Dr Fox and Boris Johnson against Environment Secretary Michael Gove over whether to allow the import of poultry treated with a chlorine wash process after Brexit.
The practice is currently banned by the EU, but has been ruled safe by the European Food Safety Authority.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
