Liam Fox gets into a jam after bizarre tweet asking for “innovative” preserve-makers to get in touch with his department
Royal approval
LIAM Fox has been mocked after seemingly basing his plan for post-Brexit trade strategy around “innovative jams”.
The International Trade Secretary’s department put out a tweet asking for makers of peculiar preserves to get in touch about selling their products.
It read: “France needs high quality, innovative British jams and marmalades.”
As well as the hashtag #ExportingIsGREAT it had a link to a request for a producer to get in touch over a potential deal.
It was quickly torn to shreds on social media, with people who neither understood what the request meant, or why it was required.
One user wrote: “Tell me more about these innovative jams. Are they wi-fi enabled?
“Future-proof? Self-spreading? What's the future of jam?”
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Many questioned why France, which is known for producing lots of jams of its own, would need “innovative” products.
One wrote: “What's next? Sell the French some British Dijon mustard?”
Another said: “Isn’t this like selling ice to the eskimos?”
While several thought the tweet was so bizarre that it must have come from a parody account.
Labour MP Stella Creasy joined in the mockery, posting: “Wait! innovative jams - isn't that what R Kelly claimed to have had?”
Another tweeted: “This government makes me so angry I want to scream. You're TERRIBLE at this.”
But the policy was defended by Andrea Leadsom, who said that we were already selling “naan bread to India”.
The Environment Secretary told the Tory party conference: “At the beginning of this year we launched our Great British Food Unit to promote our food and drink worldwide.
“We’re selling coffee to Brazil, sparkling wine to France and naan bread to India.
“And now, under the leadership of Liam, we have a Department for International Trade to further develop our trade and export opportunities.
“So, in the coming weeks and months, ministers from both our departments will be crossing the globe, flying the flag and banging the drum for Great British food and drink.”