By Today marks the much anticipated opening of the UK-Australia free trade agreement talks.
Boris Johnson took to Twitter to discuss some of the ‘perks’ he expects when trade talks with Australia commence in the coming weeks.
He tweeted a video which was captioned:
“There are few countries in the world who share a closer friendship than Australia and the UK. Now, as an independent trading nation for the first time in decades, we have the opportunity to turn our shared history and friendship into a world-leading free trade agreement.”
There are few countries in the world who share a closer friendship than Australia and the UK.
Now, as an independent trading nation for the first time in decades, we have the opportunity to turn our shared history and friendship into a world-leading free trade agreement. 🇬🇧🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/PPWESs3aHq
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 17, 2020
In the accompanying video Mr Johnson talks about the import deals already in place with Australia. He mentions that the UK already imports Australian wine and that, surprisingly, the UK exports boomerangs to Australia.
He also then asks viewers to “imagine the potential” of the free trade agreements, holding up a packing of biscuits whilst saying:
“I want a world in which we send you Marmite, you send us Vegemite. We send you Penguins and you send us, with reduced tariffs, these wonderful Arnott’s Tim Tams. How long can the British people be deprived of the opportunity to have Arnott’s Tim Tams at a reasonable price?”
Arnott’s Tim Tams are a cultural icon in Australia. A Tim Tam consists of two malted biscuits separated by a light chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. Most people in the UK would consider a Tim Tam the close brother of a Penguin, although the filling of a Penguin is a little firmer than a Tim Tam and Tim Tams also have a lighter, more open-textured biscuit.
Tim Tam (L) & Penguin (R)
Whilst biscuit enthusiasts may be excited about the Prime Minister’s speech, many are branding the video an ‘absolute mess,’ with James Felton commenting on twitter:
“I don’t want to alarm anybody but the man charged with getting us out of the worst recession in centuries is currently using his office to flog the chocolate malty flavour of Arnott’s Tim Tams.”
Max Morgan (@spilleroftea) tweeted a colourful response to the Prime Minister:
“I genuinely – GENUINELY – thought these stills were photoshopped spoofs designed to ridicule this gibbering, superficial [expl]. Turns out they’re real. They’re actually [expl] real. [Expl] Tim Tams. Jesus Christ. We are so [expl].”
As well as the benefit of cheaper biscuits, Mr Johnson also noted the UK government hopes trade agreements Australia and New Zealand will aid the coronavirus recovery by opening up new markets for businesses and creating jobs.
The first round of trade talks between the UK, Australia and New Zealand is expected to begin via video conference in the coming weeks.
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