Fox to hold talks with online retail giant

Liam Fox will hold talks with online retail giant Amazon as part of a trade mission to the US and Canada.

The International Trade Secretary will discuss efforts to modernise global rules around e-commerce during the trip.

He will also hold talks with entertainment firm Warner Bros and visual effects specialists Double Negative to highlight the value of the movie industry to the UK economy. The digital sector accounted for more than £32 billion of UK exports in services in 2015, a growth of almost 40 per cent since 2010.

Many of the relevant World Trade Organisation rules around the digital economy have not been updated for two decades, the Department for International Trade said.

Double Negative, founded in London, was involved in creating the Oscar-winning visuals for Blade Runner 2049. Inward investment in film and television production from US studios like Warner Bros, Disney and Universal was worth £2bn to the UK economy in 2017.

Dr Fox said: “In the US and Canada this week, I’ll be showcasing the UK’S strong creative, tech and food sectors, making the case for greater investment and demand in UK products and expertise in both of these countries.”