Dominic Raab hails a new ‘win-win’ relationship with Mexico on his post-Brexit trade deal tour

Dominic Raab hails a new ‘win-win’ relationship with Mexico as the UK announces it will pump £60million into Central American country to help tackle poverty and corruption and open it up to British businesses after Brexit

  • Foreign Secretary will sign a ‘partnership agreement’ with Mexico City today 
  • Sees the two countries work closely on trade, investment and climate change
  • Visit comes after Mr Raab had a surprise meeting with Donald Trump in the US

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Dominic Raab hailed a new ‘win-win’ agreement with Mexico today ahead of the last stage of his whistle-stop of North America to drum up post Brexit trade deals with Britain.

The Foreign Secretary will sign a ‘partnership agreement’ with Mexico City that involves the UK paying £60million to help the country tackle poverty and open it up to UK firms. 

Billed as ‘the most wide-ranging agreement ever concluded’ between the two countries it will also see the two countries work closely on trade and investment and climate change. 

The visit to Mexico comes after Mr Raab visited Canada and the US, with the latter seeing him hold a surprise meeting with president Donald Trump and his counterpart Mike Pompeo.

Speaking ahead of his arrival in Mexico Mr Raab said: ‘The UK is excited to be working with our Mexican friends to develop a win-win relationship. 

‘There are huge opportunities to boost two-way trade, create jobs, tackle poverty and inequality, and address key Mexican priorities such as strengthening transparency and reducing corruption.’  

Speaking to reporters about Brexit alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Mr Raab said: ‘We will manage the risks come what may. We will leave at the end of October and are determined to make a success of it’

Mr Raab posted this picture after his meeting with vice president Mike Pence in Washington, where they discussed transatlantic trade

Mr Raab posted this picture after his meeting with vice president Mike Pence in Washington, where they discussed transatlantic trade

The multi million-pound investment will come from the Government’s Prosperity Fund and will be spread over four years. 

It will be used to tackle ‘poverty and inequality, strengthen its business environment and open up markets’ to firms in a move it hopes will generate £450million by 2026.

Last night the Foreign Secretary hailed Mr Trump’s ‘huge appetite’ for a post-Brexit trade deal after their face-to-face meeting in the Oval Office.

He also held talks with the vice president Mike Pence in meetings that were not announced beforehand. 

Mr Raab described the president as ‘effusive in his warmth’ for the UK, adding: ‘It was amazing to hear an American president talk about our country in such warm terms.’

Mr Trump met Dominic Raab in Washington last night on the Foreign Secretary's tour of North America

Mr Trump met Dominic Raab in Washington last night on the Foreign Secretary’s tour of North America

Speaking to Sky in Washington today about the meeting the Foreign Secretary said: ‘He expressed his high regard for Boris Johnson as a Prime Minister and we talked about all the things that we want to do together in the post-Brexit vision for the UK.

‘Whether it is getting a free trade deal done – and there is obviously going to be a lot of work to make that happen – but there is huge appetite on both sides to achieve that.’ 

It is a major relations boost for the new UK top team as they seek to boost UK trade after Brexit.       

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