The UK will formally apply to join a huge free trade pact including Australia, Canada, Japan and Singapore, under the government’s post-Brexit plans.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will use a conversation with ministers in Japan and New Zealand on Monday to request membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Announcing the move on the anniversary of Britain’s formal departure from the EU, her department said negotiations were expected to start later this year.
Joining the CPTPP will cut tariffs in trading with the group’s 11 members, which also include Mexico and Vietnam.
The Department for International Trade said UK trade with the…