Liam Fox insists UK must quit the single market and customs union as soon as we leave the EU

BRITAIN will quit the single market and customs union on the day we leave the EU, Liam Fox said today.

The International Trade Secretary rejected the idea of signing up to the EU bodies for a transition period - as he vowed to make the EU leader of a global movement for free trade.

Dr Fox is visiting the World Trade Organisation today to emphasise that Britain is ready to strike deals around the world as soon as we quit the control of Brussels.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that we cannot stay in the single market or the customs union past the official Brexit day in March 2019.

The minister said: "You cannot leave the European Union and be in the single market and the customs union."

His comments will come as a rebuke to colleagues including Philip Hammond who have suggested we could stay in the customs union for years after Brexit to help businesses continue to trade.

We need to quit the customs union if we want to strike trade deals outside the EU, while staying in the single market would stop us ending the migration free-for-all.

Dr Fox said that Britain would reclaim its position as the world's top trading nation.

He told Today: "What we're doing is to discuss at the WTO why Britain believes in free trad, why we reject the concept of protectionism, why we think we need to liberalise the services economy globally.

"We need to get global trade moving.

"As we take up an independent seat at the World Trade Organisation, we want to shape the debate."

He promised to "make the moral case for trade", adding: "We've been able to take a billion people out of poverty over the past 25 years."

Dr Fox once again insisted that Britain is prepared to crash out of the EU without a formal deal - but said he is confident of striking an agreement with Brussels.

He said: "We don't want to have no deal, it's much better if we have a deal than no deal.

"We can of course survive with no deal and we have to go into a negotiation with those on the other side knowing that's what we think.

"The free-trade agreement we're going to come to with the European Union should be one of the easiest in human history.

"The only reason that we wouldn't come to a free and open agreement is if politics comes in the way of economics."

And he pledged support for Theresa May, saying she "has the support of her colleagues" and adding: "The Prime Minister is likely to be there for the rest of this Parliament."

The International Trade Secretary is giving a speech at the WTO in Geneva later today.

Next week, he will visit Washington to ensure that our trade ties with the US are maintained and strengthened after Brexit.

Meanwhile, David Davis is returning to Brussels today to conclude the second round of talks with the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier.