Trudeau wants Canada-UK trade deal to “flip over” the day after Brexit

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he wants a trade deal with the UK “that will flip over the day after Brexit” – and indicated that he would build on that for a subsequent agreement in the following months.

Speaking to the BBC ahead of his bilateral with Theresa May today, Trudeau said he expected to have “a version of Ceta that is standalone” with the UK from day one.

“We are very happy with trade with Britain – it’s our largest trading partner in the European Union and we will look make sure there’s predictability and continuity,” he said.

Trudeau struck a note of optimism that Ceta – which was eight years in the making – could be the starting point for a longer-term agreement between the two countries.

“The day after Brexit, and in the following months, we will work to make sure we are taking advantage [of Ceta] and look to enhance and improve it in process that will most likely not take all that long,” he added.

He is the latest leader to give a boost to Downing Street’s ambitions for a straightforward transition with trade deals, before going on to negotiate better ones outside the EU.

Last week Norway’s finance minister Siv Jensen said the Scandinavian country would be comfortable with rolling over trade arrangements.

This morning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told May there would be “no dilution in the importance of the UK to India post-Brexit”.