'Negotiators aren't match fit' New Zealand frustrated with slow pace of UK trade talks

New Zealand has complained about the lack of progress in trade talks with the UK, claiming the Government was not “match fit” for the negotiations.

Winston Peters, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, said he was “very frustrated” with the progress made on a post-Brexit deal.

He said the UK’s membership of the European Union – which dealt with trade policy – meant it was not ready to engage properly in negotiations once it was able to pursue independent agreements.

“We’ve had to look offshore for a long time and so we are seriously match fit when it comes to that, in a way that I don’t believe that the UK is, because the UK has been locked up in the EU all these years,” he told Times Radio.

“And in terms of their trading skills and finesse and their firepower – without being critical – they’ve never had an outing lately.

“They’ve never had a test, so to speak. It’s like coming into an Ashes contest when you haven’t played for 30 years – it’s the same thing in the UK when it comes to this.”

He added: “Here we are out here in the South Pacific, ourselves and Australia, and we believe we’re totally match fit and ready to go.

“We just need the British to realise that you can do more than one deal at a time.”

He suggested that Theresa May’s government had allowed “inertia” to set in while focused on Brexit.

“Where you have a decision to leave the EU and you don’t have leading the exiting party, a prime minister committed to the departure it’s somewhat predictable that inertia would set in.

“And that’s what we’ve been witnessing from our part of the world until Boris (Johnson) turned up.”

A second round of trade talks with New Zealand is planned for October after initial negotiations in July.

A Department for International Trade (DIT) spokeswoman said: “We are excited by the possibility of a free trade deal, the first round of talks with New Zealand were positive and productive.

“We’re a step closer to reaching a comprehensive trade deal to boost trade and investment between our like-minded economies.

“DIT is focused on securing free trade agreements that secure benefits for every region and nation of the UK and talks are up and running.”

Mr Peters’ comments come after it emerged talks on a UK-Japan trade deal had hit a snag over the treatment of Stilton cheese.

Ministers had hoped to secure a series of trade agreements with countries around the world to demonstrate the benefits of Brexit.