Fears EU-UK trade talks will bear no fruit until autumn

Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, says not only would it lead to tariffs and quotas at the border but it would lead to wider complications to the post-Brexit relationship.“A free trade agreement increases the scope for bilateral easements,” he said, citing side-deals on issues such as financial services and data adequacy that would be easier to strike after a harmonious trade deal with Brussels. He said tariffs of 10 per cent on cars could be “the difference between having a car industry in the UK or not”, but added: “I think there will be an agreement, but I don’t think it will happen until the autumn.”