Shanker Singham, 48 a lawyer from Surrey is one of the most influential and talked-about figures in forging Britain's post-Brexit trade policy. He has been holding regular meetings with Brexit Secretary David Davis and international trade secretary Liam Fox discussing his visions of a hard Brexit, with UK firmly outside the EU's single market, perusing free trade around the globe.
He analyses that for more than 40 years, the UK has outsourced its trade capabilities to Brussels. So at a critical stage where the government is gearing up to negotiate Brexit – finding qualified trade negotiators has been a struggle.
Shanker's vision is to unilaterally slash tariffs to get in cheaper exports, setting up a giant free-trade zone and becoming a positive example of trade liberalisation at the World Trade Organisation.
His arguments are in favour of a comprehensive free trade agreement between the EU, and a set of interim agreements to avoid a dangerous position for UK's businesses. He said Britain must not sign a deal that leaves it 'locked-in' to EU regulations and standards, squeezing UK to the corner while holding business talks with other countries. Cutting tariffs would lower prices for consumers, but will adversely affect manufacturing and farming – something Theresa May may not be willing to risk at the moment.
He had represented companies on several negotiations and has acted as trade advisor for important negotiations in the US and during Mitt Romney's two failed presidential campaigns.
