<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-trade-deal-liam-fox-uk-us-24-july-a7815751.html" class="">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-trade-deal-liam-fox-uk-us-24-july-a7815751.html</a><br class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><b style="font-size: 13.696px;" class="">The Independent</b><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><h1 style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 32px; line-height: 36px; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); font-family: 'fira sans', helvetica, arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Brexit: Liam Fox says talks on a UK-US trade deal will begin on 24 July</h1><div dir="auto" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); font-family: 'fira sans', helvetica, arial; font-size: medium; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px; font-family: 'fira sans';" class="">Announcement comes despite EU rules that prohibit deals being made with third countries while UK remains a member state</p></div><ul style="margin: 20px 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-family: 'fira sans', helvetica, arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><li style="margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; float: left;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class=""><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/author/tom-batchelor" style="color: rgb(236, 26, 46); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial;" class="">Tom Batchelor</a></span> </li><li style="margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; float: left;" class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/_tombatchelor" style="color: rgb(236, 26, 46); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial;" class="">@_tombatchelor</a> </li><li style="margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; float: left;" class=""><time datetime="Fri, 06/30/2017 - 01:02" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">6 hours ago</time></li><li style="margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; float: left;" class=""><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-trade-deal-liam-fox-uk-us-24-july-a7815751.html#commentsDiv" style="color: rgb(236, 26, 46); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: icomoon; speak: none; line-height: 1; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial;" class="">347 comments</a></li></ul></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Britishsh negotiators will begin talks with the US on a post-Brexit trade deal on 24 July, Liam Fox has revealed.<br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">EU rules prohibit member states from making separate trade deals with countries outside the bloc.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">But the Secretary of State for International Trade has repeatedly insisted there is nothing to stop the British Government “scoping out” how a future relationship with America might look.</p><div dir="auto" style="margin: 10px auto; padding: 0px; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); font-family: 'fira sans', helvetica, arial; font-size: medium; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 300px;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0pt none;" class=""></div></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Speaking on BBC One’s <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">Question Time</em>, Mr Fox said talks with his US counterparts would begin next month as he seeks to make new trade deals with “very, very big markets” outside Europe.</p><div dir="auto" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); font-family: 'fira sans', helvetica, arial; font-size: medium; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/brexit-theresa-may-trade-deal-european-union-oecd-a7776961.html" style="color: rgb(40, 30, 30); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: block;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px;" class=""><h2 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;" class="">May will fail to deliver Brexit trade deal, OECD predicts</h2></div></a></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">The former defence secretary was confronted by a fellow panel member about the risk that US negotiators may not be willing to strike a deal unless the UK agrees to less stringent food safety standards.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Concerns have been raised that British supermarkets could be <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/food-standards-scrap-brexit-supermarket-consumers-chlorine-washed-chicken-pesticides-a7591956.html" style="color: rgb(236, 26, 46); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial;" class="">flooded with chlorine-washed chicken</a>, hormone-treated beef and pork laced with a controversial drug that is banned in more than 150 countries as part of a post-Brexit trade deal with the US.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Mr Fox avoided responding directly to that charge, but said: “We are not rejecting Europe, we want an open and liberal trading arrangement with Europe.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“But there are some very, very big markets out there that we will be able to take advantage of.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">“And as for [the claim that] the US will not talk to us, I’ve got news for you, we are beginning our actual discussions on the 24 July.”</p></div></div><div class=""><div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;" class=""><div style="margin: 16px 0px;" class=""><div dir="auto" class=""><div dir="auto" class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Mr Fox was in Washington earlier this month to meet US commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, and US trade representative, Robert Lighthizer.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">He said then that negotiations would begin in July. But his <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">Question Time</em> appearance on Thursday evening was the first time a concrete date has been given for when UK-US trade talks will begin.</p><div dir="auto" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); font-family: 'fira sans', helvetica, arial; font-size: medium; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/food-standards-scrap-brexit-supermarket-consumers-chlorine-washed-chicken-pesticides-a7591956.html" style="color: rgb(40, 30, 30); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: block;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px;" class=""><h2 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px;" class="">Food standards could be scrapped after Brexit, warn environmentalists</h2></div></a></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">American food safety standards for a range of meat, poultry and dairy products are much lower than those imposed by the European Food Safety Authority.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Environmentalists warn Britain may be forced to accept lower quality products – from the use of banned flavourings to cloned meat and increased pesticides - in exchange for a quick deal.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">In January, Philip Hammond said the Government would resolutely adhere to EU rules barring individual trade deals with third countries while the UK is still a member.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'indy serif'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(40, 30, 30); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">"Of course we want to strengthen our trade ties with the very many trade partners we have around the world, but we're very mindful of our obligations under the treaty and we will follow them precisely," he said.<br class=""></p><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div><div style="height: 0px;" class=""></div></div></div></body></html>