Will an ‘ Australia deal’ work?

Boris Johnson has said it is time to "get ready" for an "Australia solution" to the post- Brexit trade talks.

Australia does not have a free trade agreement with the Brussels bloc, so the bulk of its trade is carried out on World Trade Organisation ( WTO) terms.

If the UK followed suit at the end of the transition period on 1 January, following WTO rules would mean tariffs being placed on many goods traded between the UK and the EU, with the addition of some quota restrictions and customs checks.

Iwhile Australia does not have a free trade agreement in place with Brussels, it does have a series of agreements on trade and other areas.

Mr Johnson's comments about being willing to discuss the "practicalities" on how aviation, road haulage and nuclear co- operation and so on would work after the year is over seemed to suggest he too would be open to a series of miniagreements to soften the no- deal landing.

Critics of Mr Johnson have highlighted that while his administration has been espousing the virtues of trading with Brussels on similar terms to Australia, the Commonwealth nation is in the process of attempting to negotiate better arrangements with the EU.

Carl Bildt, co- chairman of the European Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted: "Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks about an Australia situation

… Someone should tell him Australia is busy negotiating a trade deal with the EU."