The UK wants to remain in the EU's trade deals during the transition phase after Brexit

Trade experts believe this path is more feasible than trying to replicate the agreements over the next 14 months. “This is a sensible approach. The idea that we would have all 40 or so agreements replicated and ready to go in time for March 30 was always little more than a Ministerial pipe-dream,” Sam Lowe, Research Fellow at the Centre for European Reform, told BuzzFeed News.

Lowe added: “While convincing the EU that assisting the UK in carrying these over through the transition is of mutual interest will not be easy, it is the only option available to the UK.”