WHITEHALL civil servants have secretly dubbed the UK Government’s post-Brexit trade plans with African Commonwealth Nations as Empire 2.0.

According to reports, officials are worried Ministers are putting more effort into securing a free trade agreement with Africa, than they are with Brexit negotiations.

The sarcastic label, which will hugely upset the very people the Government is hoping to win over, was given to the plans ahead of a meeting of ministers from the 52 Commonwealth countries this week.

Britain is expected to guarantee all developing nations that their trading relationships with the UK will not get worse after Brexit.

Formal negotiations to create an African free trade area covering 26 countries across the length of the continent, were approved by Commonwealth countries in 2011.

Lord Marland, chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, said the meeting would explore ways to boost trade between the countries.

“When the UK joined the EU it tore up its previous agreements with Commonwealth allies and it will now need to set about rebuilding these relationships for trade,” he said. “Luckily these are old friendships, but as with all relationships, they will require a lot of effort to make them work.”

SNP MSP Joan McAlpine, who sits on the Scottish Parliament’s European Committee, said: “The Tories obviously want to roll back the clock, but their backwards-looking Brexit plans are facing ridicule even from their own government officials.

“The reference to ‘Empire’ simply underlines the scale of delusion at the heart of the UK Government’s planning for life outside Europe.

“Clearly, it is desirable to trade with Africa and Commonwealth countries elsewhere, provided it is fair trade. But as part of the EU we already have preferential trade deals with 55 other countries, including African nations. We don’t need to close the door on Europe to trade with the rest of the world.”