UK's Raab to discuss potential for early trade deal with Australia's Payne

British foreign secretary Dominic Raab will meet his Australian counterpart, Marise Payne, in Canberra on Thursday to discuss the potential for an early trade deal between the two "natural" partners. Raab is visiting Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia over the next few days in a bid to drum up free trade deals now that Britain has left the European Union.

"Australia is a natural partner and we are ready to negotiate a comprehensive trade deal," he said in a statement. "We have a multi-billion pound trade relationship with investment in both directions supporting jobs and growth in both economies. The scope for win-win is huge."

Raab will also meet Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the minister for trade, tourism, and investment, Simon Birmingham. Britain formally left the EU on Jan. 31, entering a transition period that will allow it to negotiate its future relationship with Brussels and begin talks with other major economies such as the United States and Japan.