‘Ferocious’ row blazing in Whitehall over Australia trade deal
Ministers are divided over whether to sign off a trade deal with Australia after the department of agriculture and the department of internal trade could not come to an agreement on the terms.
Ministers were battling over whether to grant tariff-free access to Australian farmers, the Financial Times reported, a move that could spark backlash from the UK farming industry.
People briefed on the issue told the FT that trade minister Liz Truss has been warned of political fallout from a zero-tariff deal by cabinet office minister Michael Gove and environment secretary George Eustice. However, she argues: if you can’t get a good trade deal with Australia, who can you get one with?
It is unclear who Prime Minister Boris Johnson will side with.
One person with knowledge of the matter told the FT the row was “ferocious”, and that there is pressure to get the issue resolved by the end of the week.
“Gove and Eustice are on one side, Truss and [Lord David] Frost on the other,” they added.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman told journalists today that the government still wants to secure an “ambitious” trade deal with Australia.
“We have secured most elements of the free trade agreement and negotiations are in intensive talks for final elements. We need to have an agreement in principle by June,” he said.
“Any agreement will include protection for the agricultural industry and won’t undercut farmers or compromise on our high standards.”