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Move called ‘historic’ but agreement with Australia forecast to raise Britain’s GDP by only 0.08% by 2035The UK’s post-Brexit trade deals with Australia and New Zealand have come into force, a moment lauded by the government as “historic” despite critics arguing they give away “far too much for far too little”.The trade agreements – the first of those negotiated after Britain’s EU exit to enter into force – come after George Eustice, who was the environment secretary when the UK-Australia trade pact was struck in December 2021, admitted it was “not actually a very good deal” for Britain. Continue reading...

The £25m port facility was built to fit government plans but stands empty while new border strategy is delayedAs white elephants go, few come larger than £25m. That is the cost of the hi-tech border control post, built to government specifications to handle post-Brexit checks on goods entering the UK, that sits near the waterfront at Portsmouth international port.The building has sat empty and unused for almost a year since its completion, after the UK government announced in April last year that the introduction of post-Brexit import checks would be delayed for a fourth time. Continue reading...

Dairy and wine industries urge Canberra to hold the line in resisting restrictions on using terms feta and proseccoFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAustralian dairy farmers and wine producers have urged the government not to make them a “scapegoat” in the final stages of trade negotiations with the European Union.The plea has been sparked by fears Australian producers could be blocked from using the names feta and prosecco as part of a free trade agreement that both sides hope to finalise by the middle of this year.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Exclusive: three years after Truss boasted of securing status in trade deal, products such as Cornish pasties can still be copiedA host of famous British food types, including Cornish pasties, Welsh lamb and Melton Mowbray pork pies, have not been given formal protection from imitation in Japan nearly three years after Liz Truss boasted that they could be secured thanks to her “historic” trade deal.As trade secretary, Truss described the post-Brexit trade agreement signed with Japan in September 2020 as the UK’s first landmark deal as an independent trading nation, ensuring the same tariff arrangements as the country had enjoyed when in the EU. Continue reading...

Simon Birmingham says ‘clarity should be there before the prime minister entertains a formal state visit to Beijing’Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe shadow minister for foreign affairs, Simon Birmingham, says Anthony Albanese should not visit Beijing until all trade sanctions have been lifted.Birmingham, a former trade minister in the Coalition government, said Australia “deserves to have absolute clarity that these sanctions are going to be lifted and that clarity should be there before the prime minister entertains a formal state visit to Beijing”. Continue reading...