Brexit: UK signs free trade deal with Australia

The image is from Richard Sowersby.

The image caption is.

Extra costs and taxes on exports and imports will be reduced by the deal.

The UK signed a free trade deal with Australia.

It is the first deal that the UK has negotiated after leaving the EU, and it does not include the trade terms that the UK enjoyed in the EU.

The government estimated that it would open up over 10 billion dollars of additional trade.

Some UK farmers are concerned that they could be undercut by cheap imports.

The UK's bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be boosted by the deal, the government said.

The agreement will come into force next year after being signed in a virtual ceremony.

It was a landmark moment in the historic and vital relationship between our two Commonwealth nations.

She said that it showed what the UK could achieve as an independent trading nation.

She denied that the deal would harm UK farmers.

She said that the deal had "clear tariffs in the first 10 years", as well as an overarching safeguard mechanism.

She said that Australia sends 70% of its beef and sheep meat to the Asia-Pacific markets.

They get great prices when they are closer to them. I'm not expecting a huge surge in UK markets, but I'm happy to do things that will open up consumer choice.

A free trade deal is meant to encourage trade by making it cheaper. Reducing or eliminating tariffs is one way to achieve this.

Quotas are limits on the amount of goods which can be traded.

The colour of wires in plugs can make trade simpler if countries have the same rules. The closer the rules are, the less likely goods are to be checked.

The agreement is a way for other countries to see how expansive the UK is.

British companies want to do more business in Australia. The trade between the two countries will increase.

Trade deals work both ways.

The UK gave Australia everything it wanted in terms of access to the agricultural market. Other larger economies will want similar access in the future.

The government insists that the concerns of British farmers have been taken into account, with transitional arrangements lasting for up to 15 years.

The Paris agreement on climate change is mentioned in the environmental provisions in the deal. The goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C has been dropped. Climate NGOs will not be impressed by that.

The fact that trade deals involve compromise, but also need to be seen in the larger trade challenges the UK faces, is highlighted by this agreement.

The Department for International Trade believes that the deal with Australia could increase the size of the UK economy by more than 2 billion dollars a year. That's only a small part of GDP.

The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that the long term loss from leaving the European Union could be 4% of GDP.

Nick Thomas-Symonds said Labour would carefully scrutinize the deal to make sure it delivered promised benefits.

He said that the opposition would hold the government to promises made to farming communities, environmental protections, and food and drink standards.

The main points of the deal are listed by the UK government.

It gives UK firms access to bid for more Australian public sector contracts.
It allows young people to work and travel in Australia for up to three years at a time.
It allows UK professionals to apply for Australian work visas without being on Australia's skilled occupation list.

The value of trade between Australia and the UK in goods and services was over 20 billion dollars in 2019.

Meat trade between the two countries is very small.

Australian beef exports go to the UK at a rate of 0.15%. Australian sheep meat was imported to the UK last year.

The UK has trade tariffs.
Agriculture.
The economy of the UK.
It's a topic of discussion.
It is possible to trade.
Australia.