Auto tariffs to take centre stage as UK-Japan talks begin

UK business groups are welcoming the long-awaited launch of post-Brexit trade talks with Japan, though competing ambitions over the automotive and agriculture sectors mean the deal is unlikely to replicate the 2018 deal with the EU. The Department for International Trade (DIT) announced on June 8 that talks between the British and Japanese governments would begin the following day, with a view to negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) for when the UK leaves the European Union at the end of this year.