The government is drumming up support for a Commonwealth trade summit next year to boost business links with historic trading partners.

Liam Fox, the trade secretary, will attend with trade ministers and business leaders in March, weeks before the government intends to invoke Article 50. Before the vote, Leave campaigners raised the possibility of deals with Commonwealth partners to compensate for the loss of single market membership.

Before Britain joined the common market, former colonies had preferential access in reciprocal deals. That ended in 1973 because Britain had to adopt the EU’s external tariffs.

Lord Marland, chairman of the Commonwealth enterprise and investment council, said the meeting was not intended as a response to Brexit but had taken on new significance. “I would have thought