London: Boris Johnson says Britain will be transformed into a Superman-like world champion of free trade, even as other countries turn their gaze inwards amid economic fears and the spread of coronavirus.

Johnson also warned his country would accept Australian-style customs trading arrangements in order to strike new deals with economic giants the United States and China. Australia does not have a trade deal with the EU and trades under WTO rules.

British PM Boris Johnson takes a question from the audience after delivering a speech on "Unleashing Britain's Potential" in London. Credit:Bloomberg

The British Prime Minister's announcement, made during a major speech in Greenwich, signalled a major departure from the Brexit promise of leaving the European Union and still enjoy the "exact same benefits" of the bloc's single market.

Johnson said he wanted a deal with Australia's "Prime Minister ScoMo" to be one of the "first four" trade deals Britain would strike but said he would require a complete break from EU regulations and standards to enable Britain to set its own regulations which he said in many cases exceeded those of the bulk of EU nations.