(Adds details on tariffs from report, background)
Jan 27 (Reuters) - The United Kingdom's next free trade
agreement is set to be with Australia, in a deal that could be
completed as soon as March, the City AM newspaper reported on
Wednesday.
The next round of UK-Australia talks are due early next
month, the newspaper reported https://bit.ly/39nhGQW, citing a
source close to Britain's International Trade Secretary Liz
Truss.
The source told the newspaper that the Australian talks were
likely to conclude before New Zealand and U.S. negotiations,
which are also ongoing.
The deal with Australia will extend free mobile roaming for
Britons travelling to Australia and open up the country's market
to UK telecommunications companies, the newspaper said, adding
that the agreement will also slash tariffs on agricultural
products going in both directions.
The United Kingdom is also asking Australia for tariffs to
be dropped for some UK manufacturing sectors such as pottery
makers, the report said.
Britain's Department for International Trade did not respond
to a request for comment.
Last month, Truss told Reuters that Britain's trade talks
with Australia were advancing well.
"We've exchanged initial tariff offers and held detailed
technical discussions on areas such as investment, professional
business services and financial services," she said in December.
A deal with Australia is seen as an important step on the
way to joining a wider free trade agreement known as the
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership (CPTPP).
Trade with Australia in goods and services totalled 18.5
billion pounds ($25.37 billion) in 2019.
(Reporting by Sabahatjahan Contractor and Kanishka SIngh in
Bengaluru
Editing by Chris Reese and Catherine Evans)