Tory manifesto leaves door open to no-deal Brexit

However, trade analysts remain sceptical. Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said that negotiating free trade deals while finalising the EU relationship would be “incredibly difficult”, as other countries would want clarity on that key relationship first. “A trade agreement with US is tricky regardless,” said Mr Lowe, thanks to the relative unpopularity in the UK of US president Donald Trump, and the typically aggressive US approach to trade talks. “But negotiating it in parallel with the EU negotiations and others raises questions about government capacity. It is very unusual to conduct so many negotiations at once,” he added.