Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, will promise to build better links with the Commonwealth when ministers from each country meet in London this week

Britain will seek to boost trade links with African Commonwealth nations this week in a move described by Whitehall officials as “empire 2.0”.

Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, will promise to build better links with the 52-member organisation when ministers from each country meet in London on Thursday and Friday.

Britain plans to promise all developing nations that their trading relationships with the UK will stay the same or improve after Brexit, guaranteeing that they will not get worse. Ministers want to go further with African nations, however, and start talks to allow Britain to work more closely with an African free trade zone.

“They want to be able to start talking about African free trade deals this week,” a Whitehall source said. The