Trade and foreign ministers from Australia and the United Kingdom met last week to advance preparations for a bilateral trade deal between their countries, including discussions on the implications of different Brexit scenarios as those negotiations continue between the UK and the European Union. Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop met with their UK counterparts, Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jeremy Hunt, respectively. Ciobo, during his visit to the United Kingdom, also spoke at length over what Canberra is looking to see in a possible free trade agreement (FTA) with London, suggesting that such a deal could include traditional areas such as liberalising goods tariffs and newer topics such as ambitious rules on electronic commerce. Bishop and Hunt, meanwhile, met on Friday 20 July within the framework of annual joint ministerial talks , which cover areas where the two sides are working to cooperate further, such as foreign policy, trade and investment, defence, and security, among other areas. Ciobo: “Distinct partnership” could yield key dividends Speaking at the Australia-UK Leadership Forum last week in London, Ciobo gave some indications of how Canberra would like to see...