United Kingdom and Singapore sign a free trade agreement TheJournal.ie

THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS signed a free trade agreement with Singapore, said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss.

Truss said in a statement on Twitter that the pact will cover trade worth £ 17.6 billion (€ 19.4 billion).

Along with a photograph of her with Singapore’s Trade Minister Chan Chun Sing, Truss said it was the second-largest deal of its kind that Britain has signed in the Asia-Pacific region.

It comes as UK and EU negotiators begin one last push to salvage the chances of a post-Brexit trade deal after Downing Street warned that the gaps between the two sides remain “very large.”

Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held crucial talks over a dinner in Brussels last night with the aim of breaking out of the deadlock, but key differences prevail.

Truss said the pact with Singapore “ensures certainty” for business, would mean “deeper future ties in digital and services trade” and was “further proof that we can succeed as an independent trading nation.”

It follows that the UK and Canada reached a deal last month to continue operating under the same terms as the current European Union deal after the Brexit transition period ends.