FOX DEALS U-TURN

LIAM Fox’s trade department has secretly admitted to some of Britain’s biggest businesses that the 40 free trade deals the minister promised to have ready by Brexit day are “unlikely” to materialise.

The admission, seen by the Press Association, is contained in the minutes of a meeting attended by senior figures at the likes of Burberry, Mulberry and Hornby at a behind-closed-doors event.

At the meeting, Department for Trade officials were probed on the pledge by Mr Fox that he would sign free trade agreements to replicate the EU’s 40 existing deals with countries around the world.

However, the minutes read: “A panel member asked whether it was true (as claimed by Liam Fox) that there were 40 FTAs ready to go, just awaiting a signature and that the only delay was the EU Exit date of 29 March. DIT said that there was confidence that some of those agreements could be signed ahead of exit date, although it was unlikely they would all be signed before the leave date.”