Government to miss Brexit trade deal target

Government officials have admitted for the first time that they will not be able to renegotiate all trade treaties involving the European Union by the end of March. The UK is party to around 40 European treaties, covering trade with more than 70 countries and making up 12% of the UK's total trade. In the event of no deal, each would need to be rewritten, either with new terms or by mirroring the existing terms, a process known as 'rolling over'. Two years ago, the International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said that updated versions of all those treaties should be ready to sign within a minute of Britain leaving the EU.