Trade secretary: UK can succeed outside the EU

Britain's International Trade Secretary told MPs on Monday that a free trade deal signed last week with Japan showed that the UK "can strike deals that go further and faster than the EU."

Liz Truss told MPs that the trade agreement it was a "major moment in our national history."

She said the deal showed that "economic powerhouses" like Japan were keen to strike trade deals with the UK, deals she said could go "further and faster" outside the EU.

Shadow International Trade Secretary, Emily Thornberry, was quick to point out that the UK's trade with Japan was "nothing like as important" as its trade with the EU.

"The deal they signed on Friday will increase our trade with Japan by a little less than half in 15 years' time. But that is nothing compared to what we will lose in just four months if we do not get a deal with Europe that this government has promised," she told MPs.