Reminders of Boris Johnson’s drive to get a Canada-style free trade agreement with the European Union have resurfaced after talks with Canada collapsed after two years of negotiations.
During the Brexit talks, former PM Johnson made clear that his aim was to strike a trading deal similar to the one the EU has with Canada, which would give Britain enhanced access to the EU market.
But not only have trade talks with the EU been fraught with difficulties, it was revealed this week that discussions between the UK and Canada have also fallen through after a prolonged and unsuccessful period of negotiations.
The two nations have been negotiating for the last two years after Britain left the European Union, with trade continuing under the same deal originally brokered when the UK was a member of the bloc.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We have always said we will only negotiate trade deals that deliver for the British people.
“And we reserve the right to pause negotiations with any country if progress is not being made.
“We remain open to restarting talks with Canada in the future to build a stronger trading relationship that benefits businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
The previous agreement had allowed the UK to continue to sell cars and cheese in the North American nation without Canada charging import tax.
However, Canada’s government has been facing pressure from the beef industry and domestic cheesemakers.
A UK Government source said Canada appeared to have “lost sight of the bigger picture – the British and Canadian businesses who do £26 billion worth of trade a year and the people they employ”.
The source added: “If Canada come back to table with a serious offer and desire to make progress we’re all ears, but in the meantime we’re going to focus on other trade deals that deliver for UK businesses.”
A spokeswoman for Canada’s trade minister, Mary Ng, told the BBC she was “disappointed” at the cessation of talks and had said as much to Kemi Badenoch, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
Ms Ng’s spokeswoman added: “Their decision to continue to maintain market access barriers for our agriculture industry and unwillingness to reach a mutual agreement has only stalled negotiations.”
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