Britain is setting up a body to tackle trade disputes when it leaves the EU, government advertising has revealed.
The Department for International Trade is creating the UK Trade Remedies Organisation, which it hopes will be operational by October 2018, six months before Brexit in March 2019.
The body wants to recruit about 130 staff, but may have little to do immediately after Brexit if Britain has an association with the EU customs union that prevents trade deals during a transition.
The country’s trade policy is currently handled through the EU.
“We need to develop the UK’s approach to tackling allegations of unfair competition and build the capability and capacity to investigate complaints and enforce the rules,” the advert said.
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Delivering “a fully functional and fit-for-purpose organisation” by the autumn of next year will be “a huge challenge”, the online job advert added.
The advert acknowledged that the trade remedies implementation team “will be operating in a changing and uncertain environment” that could be shaped by withdrawal negotiations between the UK and Brussels.
“What we expect to deliver and the related timescales could change as our detailed policy thinking develops, as the legislation moves through parliament, or as a result of the ongoing negotiation with the EU,” it said.