David Cameron’s top policy guru today admitted the British Government has no trade negotiators.
Oliver Letwin, Cabinet Office Minister until the reshuffle, said all British negotiators are currently employed by the EU. He said Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox now must hire droves of new negotiators to lead talks on deals.
The news comes as Dr Fox was today scheduled to meet the Canadian Trade Minister, about to sign a major agreement with the EU, to discuss future pacts.
Mr Letwin was due to lead Brexit negotiations until Ms May sacked him in her first reshuffle yesterday.
On BBC radio today he said: “The trade negotiators who are Brits at the moment are basically working for the EU.”
After being asked exactly how many there were, he said: “Quite a number, but they are employed there and it’s up to them obviously whether they are recruited into Whitehall.
“There are obviously very experienced trade negotiators elsewhere in the world as well.”
Mr Letwin was then asked if the UK has in fact got any of its own trade negotiators. He replied: “No, no. We don’t have trade negotiators because the trade negotiation has been going on in the EU so we are going to have to hire a whole group.”
