Originally Posted by thommy

did the UK have a free trade deal BEFORE the EU ?

NO !

So why should they get one after they leave?

and for what?
the UK is so strong and they paid so much in the EU that they never have to work anymore with all that money they are saving from now on.

but the truth will be as always in the middle. same as the EU deals with other non EU countries (since yesterday they have the biggest deal ever with Japan) it will be a deal on the same level. so if the UK want to deal with the whole world they simply have to give everybody 10 times more money that they can consume the goods they need to IMPORT to export to another country.

if the EU would make a trade deal with the eskimos and the eskimos buy only when the EU buys their polar bear skins , it would not mean that the people in south italy have to buy and wear them. but the sweds and the norwegians will be happy. good thanks that we have the EU from north to south and every country can deal everything with everybody because one of the EU countries will need it.

so be prepared to buy a lot of chopsticks from China to sell them in return the subsidized agricultural products from the UK.
but I think britain have to subside them even a bit more because no country in the world will pay a higher price for transportation costs just because UK trucks will wait hours at the new border to europe.