The minister charged with securing new trade deals for Britain outside the EU said Sunday he was aiming for a Brexit date of Jan. 1, 2019, as London made overtures toward Australia and Canada.
"That's the date I'm working to, which could be brought forward if necessary," International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told the Sunday Times newspaper.
This would involve triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which would start a two-year clock running on Britain's exit from the bloc, by the end of this year.
Before taking office last week following the June 23 vote for Britain to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May indicated she would invoke Article 50 early next year.
Fox revealed that he had opened "very fruitful" trade talks with Canada on Friday, and was reported to be heading to the United States next week.
May also discussed a trade agreement with Australia in a phone call with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday, her Downing Street office said.
Turnbull had expressed his desire for a free trade deal as soon as possible, the statement said.
May had campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU in the referendum but says she will make Brexit "a success".
"One of the ways we will do this is by embracing the opportunities to strike free trade deals with our partners across the globe," she said in the statement.
"It is very encouraging that one of our closest international partners is already seeking to establish just such a deal."
Britain cannot sign trade deals until it legally leaves the EU, but Fox said he would line up agreements for the day Brexit comes into force.
EU leaders are pressing for a quick divorce, but May has urged them to give her time.
One point of delay may be Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU while England and Wales voted to leave, and is threatening independence as a way of staying in the bloc.
After talks on Friday with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the secessionist Scottish National Party, May said she wanted a common British position.
"I won't be triggering Article 50 until I think that we have a UK approach and objectives," May told reporters.
Sturgeon told the BBC on Sunday that this "puts Scotland now in a very, very strong position" to influence events.
Meanwhile, Google CEO Sundar Pichai hit back Sunday at accusations that the global internet giant failed to pay enough taxes in Europe, and warned of the potential fallout from Britain leaving the EU.
As Google faces a raft of fiscal probes across the continent, Pichai told Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper that the US company invested "very heavily" in Europe and employed 14,000 people there.
"As a global company, we find ourselves between the conflicting priorities of international tax law," he said, in remarks published in German.
"Based on the structure of existing tax law, most companies pay the bulk of their taxes in their home countries." 

He said that Google respected the laws on the books, and that governments would have to take action if they wanted to ensure more revenues stayed at home.
"Only the further development of the global tax system by politicians can lead to better results," he said.
Asked about a Brexit or British exit from the EU following last month's watershed referendum, Pichai underlined the importance to Google of a "unified digital market" in Europe.
He said it was a "challenge" for a multinational company "to come to terms with different laws and regulations in each country".
"This complexity makes greater engagement difficult, which also plays out in investment," he said, stressing however that large companies were better able to deal with such issues than small firms.
European officials have raised questions about the tax liabilities of companies including Google, Amazon and Apple. Some firms have taken advantage of tax breaks offered from Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Source: Arab News