Dr Fox called for a change in the culture of British business in order to take advantage of the post-Brexit trade deals he plans to negotiate Andy Rain/EPA

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Britain has grown lazy and fat, with business executives more interested in playing golf on a Friday afternoon than exporting products overseas, Liam Fox, the trade secretary, has claimed.

In an extraordinary attack on those he represents in government, Dr Fox said that companies were not ready to take advantage of the trade deals he was planning to negotiate.

The minister, who is responsible for forging Britain’s place in the world after Brexit, even hinted that companies that did not take advantage of new export opportunities could face sanctions. “If you want to share in the prosperity of our country, you have a duty to contribute to the prosperity of our country,” he said.

Dr Fox’s unguarded comments, made on Thursday night during a drinks…