BORIS Johnson’s former environment secretary has admitted that the post-Brexit trade agreement struck with Australia is “not actually a very good deal for the UK.”

George Eustice said the UK had given away too much for too little in return. 

Last year, he told MPs that Australia was “an important ally and this is a good agreement between us”.

Speaking during a general debate on the Australia and New Zealand deals in the Commons, Mr Eustice said he is enjoying “the freedom of the backbenches”, particularly as “I no longer have to put such a positive gloss on what was agreed”.

The deal, agreed in principle last June, was hailed by Mr Johnson as a "new dawn" for the two country's trading relationship and said it represented "global Britain at its best – looking outwards and striking deals that deepen our alliances and help ensure every part of the country builds back better from the pandemic."

However, on Monday, Mr Eustice told the Commons there had been “failures” made by the Department for International Trade.

He said that lessons needed to be learned ahead of any future negotiation. 

The first lesson, he said, is “to recognise that the Australia trade deal is not actually a very good deal for the UK”, adding: “It wasn’t for lack of trying on my part.”

Mr Eustice went on: “The UK went into this negotiation holding the strongest hand, holding all of the best cards, but at some point in early summer 2021, the then trade secretary [Liz Truss] took a decision to set an arbitrary target to conclude heads of terms by the time of the G7 summit, and from that moment the UK was on the back foot repeatedly.

“In fact, at one point the then trade secretary asked her opposite number from Australia what he would need in order to be able to conclude an agreement by G7, and of course the Australian negotiator very kindly set out the Australian terms, which then shaped eventually the deal.”

He said the UK had “given away far too much for far too little in return” during talks.

Mr Eustice said that the “best thing” that current trade minister Kemi Badenoch could do is to instruct Crawford Falconer, the UK’s chief trade negotiator and interim permanent secretary at the DiT, to “get the right agreement” even if it “takes a decade”.

“We are not ever again going to put ourselves in such a position of setting the clock against us and shattering our own negotiating position,” he added.

Speaking in the debate, the SNP’s international trade spokesperson Drew Hendry said: “These are awful deals, they’re unmitigated disasters and that is why they are refusing to allow Parliament to vote on them.

“These are the legacy of the previous prime minister (Liz Truss) and make as much sense as the infamous mini budget.”

The MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey added: “These deals are bad policy at the worst possible time. The laissez-faire, couldn’t care, get it over the line Brexiteer ideology that has deprioritised domestic food production in support of importing cheaper for now, lower standard food is dangerous and should be put on hold immediately.

“It sets a thumpingly bad precedent. The rest of the world is watching and they want the same one-sided access that has been squandered here.”