1/5 Issues facing the UK with its current trade policy in layman's terms:

UK can set its own import tariffs to zero on anything and everything we want to buy from the EU post-Brexit.

BUT....

2/5 Whatever we set for the EU we have to set the same for every other country where we have no trade agreement. *thats everywhere.

Secondly, UK has no control over the tariffs set by companies buying our exports. We know they will be high enough to make UK exports ...

3/5 uncompetitive on the world stage and our customers will buy elsewhere where they have a trade agreement. *every single other country has trade agreements and opportunity to NOT buy from the UK.

4/5 Thirdly, If UK already set its import tariff to zero and we have to pay additional duties to other countries then there is no incentive for them to sign any trade deal with the UK.

And finally; EU trade agreements with 3rd countries include harmonised standards for ...

5/5 environment, state aid, employment rights etc. If the UK insists on diverging from those standards then other countries will be forced by the UK to decide whether a trade deal with the EU is more important than a trade deal with the UK post Brexit.