BREXIT Britain can do a trade deal with Australia in less than a year a half, their Government declared last night.

The Aussie High Commissioner slammed “fairytales” that they could flood the British market with cheap lamb and beef, as he urged the UK not to “play politics” with any future deal.

2 Alexander Downer, the Australian High Comissioner, criticised the EU for being 'preposterously protectionist' Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd

Speaking in Central London, their top diplomat in the UK said it took 15 months for his country to do a trade deal with America and a similar agreement could be reached with Britain “very quickly”. But Alexander Downer warned if the UK started to “try to carve our industries” then the process would quickly come bogged down in “politics.” Addressing the Institute for Free Trade, alongside Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Mr Downer slammed the EU as “preposterously protectionist.” He said the controversial Common Agricultural Policy “does far more harm than good” and “has been hugely damaging to global agriculture.”

2 Michael Gove is now the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Credit: Steve Back Photographer 07884436717

And he hit out at scaremongering from Labour that a trade deal with Australia will hit British farmers. Recently Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones claimed: “If we have a free trade deal agreement with Australia and New Zealand we can kiss goodbye to Welsh farming.” But Mr Downer said: “The idea that we could flood the UK market is a fairy tale”. He insisted that his country’s meat markets were “saturated” by the trade they already do with India and East Asia.