Definitely wheeze of the day . How NOT to win friends and influence people . One does have to ask--what's wrong with our esteemed secretary of state ? SOS indeed ! Uk deserves a better hand on the Defence tiller .
All this certainly does not augur well for that glowing post Brexit era when countries across the world will be queuing up to sign trade deals with GB Inc.

Hmmm - I can remember people saying that about Japanese motorbikes and cars when I was a kid - and we know how THAT turned out

Also see that the UK has trade treaties signed with Switzerland, Chile, Mauritius & the Faeroes.... out of the Famous Forty Liam Fox boasted were "just waiting to sign up" - going to be cold out there guys..........................

Talking about Japan , I see the FT reporting that Messrs Fox and Hunt have ( allegedly ) managed to upset them as well . What baffles me about all this talk about "taking back sovereignty and striking our own trade deals " is that UK has been doing pretty well within the so-called confines of EU strangulation . There is very little mention in the media of UK winning a pretty big contract last year to supply destroyers to the Oz navy , won in competition with other EU bidders , which (afaik ) is the way it works .

UK is a member of NATO and the UN with associated membership rules ; so , is there a plan to withdraw from these organisations in order to " regain sovereignty " and thereby " make Britain great again " ? Methinks a few people may be smoking the same stuff as our friend Trump .

I see Gavin W was in today's Times - this time with the Marines .............. it's becoming a regular Monday feature - I just have a feeling that if Mrs May ever survives to carry out another reshuffle young Gavin will be looking for another job.......................

And to think, we could probably have undertaken this rather pointless show of force without consequence if we'd been planning to remain in the EU...

In other related news, it appears Japan's negotiators are getting increasingly exasperated at our negotiating stance too, but for different reasons. And to think the EU has just signed a groundbreaking free trade deal with the country (where's that 'head banging into a wall' emoji?)

Woohoo!! Ignore my previous - everything's going to be fine!