U.S., UK officials to explore post-Brexit trade agreement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British officials will meet in Washington on Monday for the first meeting of a new trade and investment working group to explore a possible trade agreement between the countries after Brexit, a U.S. official said.

The official from the U.S. Trade Representative's office, who asked not to be named, said the meeting would be held on July 24-25 and include Britain's International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

"The early discussions will focus on laying the groundwork for commercial continuity for U.S. and U.K. businesses as the U.K. leaves the EU and exploring possible ways to strengthen trade and commercial ties, consistent with the EU's common commercial policy," the official told Reuters.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Andrew Hay)