BRITAIN would be welcomed into the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal with “open arms” in a further British Brexit boost, the Japanese PM insisted yesterday.

Japan’s premier Shinzo Abe described the UK as a country “equipped with global strength” as Theresa May bids to win over the EU on her Brexit plans.

4 Japan’s premier Shinzo Abe welcomed Brexit Britain into TPP 'with open arms' praising our 'global strength' Credit: EPA

Mr Abe’s comments to the FT will also encourage Brexiteers as the PM has a week’s respite to sell Chequers at a crunch EU summit next week.

The Cabinet are unlikely to move against her ahead of the meeting but if it is again rejected by EU leaders she will be forced to come up with a Plan B.

The TPP is a wide-ranging trade agreement between 11 Pacific countries, including Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Canada and Mexico.

Trade Secretary Liam Fox held talks earlier this year with overseas officials about joining the TPP.

Currently around eight per cent of British exports are sent to those countries.

4 Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is the first UK minister to deliver a speech entirely in Japanese during an official visit to Tokyo Credit: EPA

If Britain joined, it could strike new deals with the countries which cover 40 per cent of the world’s economy.

But it will only be possible if the UK quits the EU’s customs union and wins the power to set its own tariffs.

Quizzed on a Brexit deal between the UK and the EU, Mr Abe added: “I hope that both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit.

“I truly hope that the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy, including Japanese businesses, will be minimised.”

Irish deputy: Deal is 90% of way there A BREXIT deal is “90 per cent” agreed, Ireland’s deputy PM declared yesterday. Simon Coventry’s claim was a major boost to Theresa May ahead of next week’s EU summit. He insisted the chances of getting the green light for a withdrawal treaty between Britain and the EU were “good”. He said: “The withdrawal treaty is already about 90 per cent agreed in terms of text, the issues that have not been signed off yet relate predominantly to Ireland. “The two negotiating teams need to lock themselves in a room for the next ten days or so.” Last night it emerged that ministers are in talks with as many as 25 Labour MPs to force through the Chequers Brexit deal. The Government’s whips’ office has made contact with the MPs as a back-up for when Mrs May’s Brexit deal is put to a vote in Parliament in early December.

4

Budget rebellion BREXITEER rebels have warned they will vote down significant issues like the Budget, unless the PM takes a tougher stance with the EU. A source in the hardline ERG group told The Sun Theresa May was performing a “tricky balancing act” but could end up angering Tory MPs so much they would vote against the Government regardless.

Last week Japanese trade official Taku Miyazaki, deputy director general of JETRO said Britain and Japan’s close relationship over the last four decades would stand in its favour.

He said: “We don’t think that after Brexit the competitiveness, the characteristics of the UK will soon disappear.”

Last month Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt delivered an impressive speech entirely in fluent Japanese during an official visit to Tokyo.

He became the first UK minister to do so after living in Japan for 18 months as a student.

4 PM Theresa May faces a Budget rebellion unless she takes a tougher stance with Brussels

Mr Hunt famously slipped up in July when he told a room full of Chinese leaders his wife was from Japan – the land of their biggest rivals.

The gaffe came on his first big foreign trip in the role as he was visiting Beijing. It was all the more embarrassing as the Foreign Sec's wife Lucia Guo is actually Chinese.

The Cabinet Minister said: “My wife is Japanese – er, my wife is Chinese”, as he quickly corrected his “terrible mistake” and later took to Twitter to apologise “to the long-suffering Mrs H”.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online politics team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours