Just out of a meeting to remind us of why those trade deals take time - and need to take time. Discussed the specific rules of origin which determine whether a product will be eligible for a reduced or zero tariff, and how business and government have to approach the discussion
Get product specific rules of origin wrong and you render some exports uneconomic. Or potentially open up the UK to unfair competition. And you have to also consider for each product the non-tariff barriers such as regulatory regimes, customs inspections etc
If you already have a tried and tested approach, you know what regulatory regimes and rules of origin you need, then shortcuts may be available. But we don't, we've not done this before. And setting an arbitrary deadline means we may sign up to something which doesn't work for us
Then there are the trade-offs that have to be made, between our offensive and defensive interests, and those of the other side, and our regions and sectors. And the politics, MPs who want business in their constituencies to thrive.
Negotiating trade agreements with the US and EU, as well as the detailed operation of the Ireland protocol, in a year, is unprecedented for any country, probably beyond institutional capacity, and would leave sectors and businesses hugely vulnerable. In short, highly inadvisable.
