Qatar has given strong vote of confidence in UK economy: trade minister Fox

[March 28, 2017]  BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - The Emir of Qatar has given a strong vote of confidence in the British economy, Britain's trade minister Liam Fox said on Tuesday after the wealthy Gulf state pledged 5 billion pounds ($6.28 billion)of investment in Britain.

Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox speaks at the Qatar UK Business and Investment Forum in London, Britain March 27, 2017 REUTERS/Neil Hall

Prime Minister Theresa May, who met the emir at the Gulf Cooperation Council last year, is due to formally begin the process of Britain's exit from the European Union on Wednesday.

"We will have an independent trade policy, giving us opportunity to forge deeper trade links with old friends and new allies," Fox told a Qatar-UK investment conference in Birmingham, central England.

"Qatar's emir has given a strong vote of confidence and faith in our economy."

(Reporting Tom Finn, writing by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Stephen Addison)

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