Trade rules that would mean no tariffs for decade

Trade officials are examining international rules that would allow tariffs between Britain and the EU to be kept at zero for up to ten years after Brexit.

Officials in Liam Fox’s department are looking closely at a provision in World Trade Organisation rules that would allow trade to continue under today’s terms for up to a decade, as long as both parties agree.

The government insists that a fresh trade deal with the EU is achievable within the two years set aside for the discussions under Article 50.

However, business groups have called for a transition period that would allow a trading arrangement with Europe to be negotiated over a longer time frame.

A government source said that the provision had been looked at and…