Brexit: UK says 'real progress' made in EU talks following new trade deal with Japan

Britain and the European Union have made real progress in Brexit trade talks and a deal is possible, Trade Secretary Liz Truss said on Friday. But, she said if the bloc does not come to an agreement, then Britain will leave without a deal.

"We're in intense negotiations with the EU - we've made real progress," Truss said. "We want to get a good deal with the EU, a deal like they have with Canada, which we think is perfectly reasonable."

“But what we can't do is sign up to something that affects our sovereignty and our ability to set our own rules and regulations. Those are really important principles,” she added.

Britain and Japan formally signed a trade agreement on Friday, marking Britain's first big post-Brexit deal on trade, as it continues to struggle to agree on a deal with its closest trading partners in the EU.

#GlobalNews #Brexit

[rattywilliams]

Keep going liz you are doing a great job

[rodneyhenchliffe]

Very well said Liz, at last the UK government is talking sensibly. How can the UK "compromise" independence and sovereignty? To suggest this can happen is nonsense!

[annewillis]

Remember remainders, remoaners and the eu, it takes ten years to make a trade deal. Wrong.less than a year.

[Arltratlo]

lol, Japan is 3% of UK trade... so how is what concerning the EU? Japan makes much more trade with the EU..!

[Delightfulsoundofmeltingsnowfl]

After the deals are signed there then needs to be a purge of all the haters, one way dingys to northern france and their beloved eu.

[douglastodd]

Sorry to disappoint WE DON, T WANT A DEAL WITH THE EU.THAT, S WHAT WE VOTED FOR.

[mothack]

dumb question but what is UK exporting?

[conner.]

Well done Liss Truss .... standing up for UK interests and UK companies and basically telling the Eu there is nothing they sell to the uk that we cannot buy from the Commonwealth USA or Japan ... If the Eu wish to sell their products into the Uk then they will have to come to terms the Uk are a sovereign country and now the Eu can see the benefit of the Uk outside of the Eu THIS IS WHY the Uk voted to LEAVE Leave means Leave ?

[anthonyfoster]

When will our politicians get into their thick heads we voted to leave the EU, no trade deal.

[stephenkelly]

The eu is the biggest and best trading block in the world £16.1bn of Scottish trade is with the EU. Thank god we will be independent soon brexit laughing stock little uk in the world 😂

[adscri]

It took almost 10 years for the EU - Canada deal to be worked out.

[philsterthephilster]

There will not be a Canada deal. there will be the same deal that Teresa May put forward of no deal at all. The Japan deal is scraps from the tablet. It will benefit Japan far more than the UK.

[davegibb]

EU should go the the bottom of the list, other countries to make deals with first

[ghostxclaps]

Money will come we want to be free no controls thankyou . That is not for sale

[thoughtful_criticiser]

I disagree, it's not further than the EU is prepared to go. The deal with Japan is further than the short sighted protectionist Brussels dictatorship is capable of going.
It's one of the reasons for Brexit.

[SamsungJ-ytjm]

Stop keep talking about deals get out now

[AbdullahKhan-mypz]

Canada is down. Free Trade all the way.

[demonhalo]

Trouble is, the EU have demonstrated for the last 6 months that they are unwilling to offer the UK a deal based on Canada or Japan, but wish to ensnare the UK in a vassalage agreement as punishment for leaving they're dictatorship.

That is not the sort of organisation we would be discussing trade agreements with at all. I hope you will succeed but by hunch is that the UK will have to accept a WTO arrangement all becouse our opposite number can't accept democracy. No deal will result in more members leaving not less.

[ghostxclaps]

Walk away now ur making ur own people very very angry

[gabellusgabellus]

🇬🇧🇬🇧 must be politically, economically and militarily fully independent 👏👏👏