23 November 2020 - UK and Canada agree on post-Brexit trade deal
PM's plans for Global Britain receive major boost after Britain and Canada seal trade deal
David Maddox (The Daily Express, 23/11/2020)
Boris Johnson's plans for Global Britain following Brexit have received a major boost after the UK and Canada sealed a £20billion trade deal yesterday.
The agreement will see the UK and Canada continue the trade deal struck with the EU with the two countries set to start work on an even more ambitious arrangement early next year. The deal is another major success for international trade secretary after she secured a £15billion trade deal with Japan.
The Observer view on the role of "Global Britain"
(The Guardian, 22/11/2020)
The “global Britain” mantra was adopted by Theresa May at the 2016 Conservative party conference in an attempt to define the country’s post-Brexit relationship with the world. According to the Foreign Office, it means “investing in our relationships, championing the rules-based international order and demonstrating that the UK is open, outward-looking and confident on the world stage”.
The fact that this is what postwar Britain has always done, or tried to do, has not deterred Boris Johnson from pretending it is a new idea. Yet his government has repeatedly failed to articulate coherent strategies for realising these laudable aims.
Brexit: UK and Canada agree deal to keep trading on EU terms
(BBC News, 22/11/2020)
The UK and Canada have agreed a deal to continue trading under the same terms as the current EU agreement after the Brexit transition period ends. The government said it paved the way for negotiations to begin next year on a new comprehensive deal with Canada.
The PM and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau made the "agreement in principle" in a video call, the Department for International Trade said.
The agreement does not give any new benefits to businesses. But it rolls over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement reached by the EU and Canada after seven years of negotiations.
UK and Canada commit to post-Brexit trade deal
Graham Lanktree (Politico, 22/11/2020)
Britain and Canada on Saturday resolved to negotiate a new bilateral trade deal in 2021, rolling over the terms of the EU’s CETA trade agreement with Canada.
Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau sealed the rollover pact in a video call early this morning. British Trade Secretary Liz Truss and her Canadian counterpart Trade Minister Mary Ng also joined in on the call.
The deal will ensure that nearly £20 billion in annual trade between the countries keeps flowing after Britain leaves the EU on January 1, 2021. British businesses export £11.4 billion worth of goods and services to Canada each year. Sectors that stand to prosper from continued trade in the U.K. include carmakers and the food and drink industries.