Today’s daily politics briefing
Boris Johnson has said the UK and Australia’s post-Brexit trade deal shows “global Britain at its best”, despite predictions that it will only boost the economy by 0.02 per cent over the coming 15 years.
As part of the first agreement negotiated from scratch since London left the EU, Britons under 35 will be able to work more easily in Australia, while British cars and Scottish whisky can be sold there more cheaply.
Amid worries that British farmers will be undercut by Australian meat exports, the government said the sector would be safeguarded by caps on tariff-free imports.
The official announcment came after Australian agriculture minister David Littleproud told reporters in Canberra that the result of negotiations was an “exciting thing for not only Australian agriculture, but for our economy”.
In a similar vein, Dan Tehan, the country’s trade minister, called the pact a “win for jobs, businesses, free trade and highlights what two liberal democracies can achieve while working together”.
After a pact was confirmed, Mark Melatos, an economist at the University of Sydney, warned that the UK could have “negotiating difficulties” with other countries as a result of its concessions to Australia.
