The European Union on Monday adopted quotas for farming produce it will accept from third countries after Britain leaves the bloc and acknowledged this could happen before it has concluded talks with them on the subject.
The cabinet has reached a “collective” agreement on the basis of the UK's future relationship with the EU after Brexit, Theresa May has said. Ministers have signed up to a plan to create a free trade area for industrial and agricultural goods with the bloc, based on a “common rule book”.
European and UK business leaders have told Prime Minister Theresa May of their Brexit concerns. At a meeting in Downing Street on Monday, representatives from groups including the CBI and BusinessEurope pressed for a transitional deal that preserves the status quo after Brexit.
The man charged with helping to negotiate Britain's free trade deals around the world post-Brexit has said the agreements can help improve global security. Crawford Falconer, who will work with International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox, said there was a “powerful political and security element to getting this right”.