David Davis has demonstrated a decidedly muddled understanding of trade policy

One of the arguments made by the Leave campaign during the UK’s referendum in 2016 was that Brexit would allow Britain to negotiate trade deals with other countries around the world more quickly than would be possible via the EU.

Mark Manger writes that the plans outlined so far by David Davis, the UK’s new ‘Brexit Secretary’, indicate this is likely to be a key priority for new UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s government. However, he argues that the model put forward by Davis illustrates considerable confusion about how trade policy works in practice.

• Primary Source

United Kingdom: Department for Exiting the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/department-for-exiting-the-european-union/

United Kingdom: Department for International Trade https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-trade

ESO: Background information: The EU Referendum, 23 June 2016. The United Kingdom and the European Union. The results http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-eu-referendum-23-june-2016-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union-the-results/

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

BBC News, 17.07.16: UK offered Brexit free trade deal with Australia http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36818055

The Telegraph, 16.07.16: Brexit free-trade deals planned with the USA and Australia http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/16/theresa-may-plans-for-brexit-trade-deals-with-the-usa-and-austra/

CAPX, 18.07.16: Unshackled from the EU, Britain must choose its trade partners wisely http://capx.co/unshackled-from-the-eu-britain-must-choose-its-trade-partners-wisely/

In Facts, 19.07.16: David Davis’ trade deal fantasies https://infacts.org/david-davis-trade-deal-fantasies/

Blog: Open Europe, 27.07.16: Priorities for the new Department for International Trade post-Brexit http://openeurope.org.uk/today/blog/priorities-for-the-new-department-for-international-trade-post-brexit/

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