A post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and Japan has reportedly hit a stumbling block because Liz Truss wants the Japanese to have more stilton cheese all to stick it to the EU.
An agreement between the UK and Japan was said to be on the verge of completion, with the end of August said to be a possibility. However, Truss, the international trade secretary, has thrown a smelly blue cheese spanner into the works by demanding that stilton makers are given preferential treatment in the deal in order to get a better deal than what Japan currently has with the European Union.
According to a report from the Financial Times, Truss is hoping that if the deal for stilton is struck then it will be a "symbolic win" for the UK and would demonstrate that the country can achieve better deals than what the EU already has with other countries. The EU and Japan forged a deal last year, which would see the 29 per cent tariffs on hard cheeses phased out by the year 2033 but there will only be duty-free access by that year on an agreed tariff for blue-veined cheese, such as stilton.
This comes amid reported pressure from British farmers towards Boris Johnson to get preferential treatment for the UK's most loved cheeses as they are likely to be hit hard by the loss of EU subsidies, as per Nikkei Asian Review. Yet data cited by the FT from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, show that although the UK did export £18 million worth of blue cheese globally last year, just £102,000 of that went to Japan.
Japan has denied the claims but a statement from Truss remained positive on the progress with the deal:
We have reached consensus on the major elements of a deal, including ambitious provisions in areas like digital, data and financial services that go significantly beyond the EU-Japan deal.
Truss is a staunch defender of the British food production industry and turned heads at the 2014 Tory conference when she gave a bizarre speech where she said that it was a "disgrace" that the UK was actually importing apples from other countries, a speech that has gone down in infamy.
Treats with Truss https://t.co/7af1EmI0C1— Meggie Foster (@Meggie Foster) 1589705986
Elsewhere, people are flabbergasted that one of the UK's first major trade deals with another country could be crumbling because of Stilton. Oh, and by the way, the trade negotiations with the EU are currently going nowhere with only five months remaining.
What is it with Truss and cheese ? She’s got herself in a pickle over Stilton in the Trade talks with Japan, clearl… https://t.co/GhsCzBAZPf— Ian collins (@Ian collins) 1597130367
Brexit is trying to sell Stilton to the Japanese because we made it harder to sell it to Europeans.— Sarah Hurst (@Sarah Hurst) 1597133237
Ok. I wasn't expecting Stilton to be the stalling point in a deal with Japan. Was this stopped to be our trump card… https://t.co/hanz0tz3Ga— Slough for Europe 🇪🇺💙 (@Slough for Europe 🇪🇺💙) 1597123969
The Stilton situation reveals what we always feared - that Liz Truss is in the pocket of Big Cheese. She must be re… https://t.co/L2MaUPtVjU— Gpoptosis (@Gpoptosis) 1597127805
stop sharing the #stilton story start sharing the last paragraph https://t.co/MYw5XztySd— Gareth Evans Gammonologist 🕷💙 (@Gareth Evans Gammonologist 🕷💙) 1597126094
We know that Brexit stinks, but this seems ridiculous...