BRITAIN is on the brink of signing a landmark trade deal with Australia – which could be signed off next month.
The £20billion agreement could be sealed in weeks after both sides shook hands on all major parts of the treaty.
Aides close to Trade Minister Liz Truss vowed to seal the deal this week by forcing her Australian counterpart Dan Tehan to sit in uncomfortable wooden chairs in the Foreign Office.
But Ms Truss wooed her counterpart with Vietnamese food on Thursday evening, before spoiling the contingent from Down Under with fish and chips yesterday.
And she even presented Mr Tehan with Emma Bridgewater mugs and a London Pottery Company tea pot as a gift.
HOAR understands part of the deal will see Scotch whiskey heading to Oz tariff free – handing a major boost to Scottish producers.
International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, said: “We have made major breakthroughs over the past few days and an agreement is now in sight.
“I want to thank Dan personally for the contribution he has made and for his desire to get this deal done.
“This is a deal that will deliver for Britain and all parts of our economy.
“It is a win-win for both nations.
“It is a fundamentally liberalising agreement that will support jobs across the country and help us emerge stronger from the pandemic, strengthening ties between two democracies who share a fierce belief in freedom, enterprise and fair play.
“We will spend the next few weeks ironing out details and resolving outstanding issues, with a view to reaching a deal by June.”
The UK was Australia’s fifth largest trading partner in 2019 and is the first deal negotiated from “scratch” since Britain left the EU.
A source at the Department for Trade said: “This deal ultimately shows what we’re capable of outside the EU.
“It’s the first deal we’ll have done totally from scratch and it’s another big win for Liz.”
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