Free trade deal

BRITAIN and Australia announced a free trade deal the British government hailed as an important step in building new trade relationships after its departure from the EU. Britain said cars, Scotch whisky and confectionery would be cheaper to sell in Australia because of the agreement, which removes tariffs and reduces red tape. Australia said it was a “great win” for Australian agriculture. The deal is the first bilateral trade accord Britain has negotiated from scratch since leaving the EU last year. The government sees it as an important piece of its post-Brexit strategy to shift Britain’s economic centre away from Europe and seek new opportunities in highergrowth Indo-Pacific nations.