Brexit booze bonus as Liz Truss claims Australian wine will become CHEAPER under new trade deal

Brexit booze bonus as Liz Truss claims Australian wine will become CHEAPER in the UK under terms of new trade deal she is agreeing with Canberra

  • The ‘vast majority’ of a free trade deal with Australia has been agreed
  • Ms Truss said that it included provisions that would make wine cheaper here
  • Also opens up  ‘huge opportunities for us in the Asia-Pacific market’ she said

Thirsty Brits will get a Brexit booze bonus thanks to a new free trade deal with Australia, minister Liz Truss said today.

The International Trade Secretary said that wine from Down Under would be cheaper under the terms of a new agreement with Canberra.

The admission today came after her department said on Friday that a consensus had been reached in the ‘vast majority’ of elements of a comprehensive free trade agreement after two days of talks with Australian counterpart Dan Tehan.

Asked today if the agreement would mean cheaper wine from one of the world’s largest producers, she told Sky’s Ridge on Sunday: ‘Well, that is one of the many benefits that there would be from the Australia trade deal.’

Uncertainty had been cast over the discussions last week when allies of Ms Truss described her counterpart to the Telegraph as ‘inexperienced’ ahead of his visit. 

Trade deal progress was criticised as ‘glacially slow’, while Ms Truss was said to be planning to sit her guest in ‘an uncomfortable chair’ in the Foreign Office’s Locarno Room ‘so he has to deal with her directly for nine hours’.

The admission today came after her department said on Friday that a consensus had been reached in the ‘vast majority’ of elements of a comprehensive free trade agreement after two days of talks with Australian counterpart Dan Tehan (right).

The International Trade Secretary said that wine from Down Under would be cheaper under the terms of a new agreement with Canberra.

The International Trade Secretary said that wine from Down Under would be cheaper under the terms of a new agreement with Canberra.

But Ms Truss today claimed those remarks were ‘a complete load of nonsense’, adding: ‘The fact is, Dan and I have a very positive relationship. 

‘We had really positive talks over the last two days, we are now within a glimpse of striking our first post-Brexit trade deal which is negotiated from scratch and I’m looking forward to agreeing that in principle over the next few weeks.

‘And this will bring huge benefits to the British economy, whether it’s the whisky industry, the car industry, the financial services industry and it also opens up huge opportunities for us in the Asia-Pacific market, one of the fastest growing parts of the world, and I’m looking forward to opening that even further. 

In a later interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr she added that the UK would not lower its food standards under the deal.

‘I can absolutely promise that we’re not going to lower our excellent food standards in order to do this trade deal. But what we will do through this trade deal is make sure we get fantastic British products into Australia at a much cheaper price – so whether it’s whisky or cars – which will help drive jobs and growth across Britain,’ she said.

‘And it also gives us access to fantastic fast-growing part of the world, the Asia-Pacific. 

We’re expecting 66 per cent of the world’s middle classes to be there by 2030. So this is all about creating jobs and growth for the future and hitching Britain to the fastest-growing parts of the world.’