THE UK does not have its own trade negotiators because they are all working for the European Union, the sacked minister who was due to lead the Government's Brexit unit has suggested.

West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin, the former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who was axed as part of Theresa May's cabinet shake-up, was appointed by David Cameron to be the architect of the UK's negotiations with the EU.

He has now been replaced in that role by David Davis, who has been appointed Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.

One of the key tasks faced by Mr Davis, along with Liam Fox, the newly appointed International Trade Secretary, will be to negotiate trade deals with the world.

But Mr Letwin painted a grim picture of the challenges they face after he was asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme how many trade negotiators the UK has.

He said: "The trade negotiators who are Brits, at the moment are basically working for the EU."

Mr Letwin was then asked again exactly how many.

He said: "Quite a number... but they are employed there and it's up to them obviously whether they are recruited into Whitehall.

"There are obviously very experienced trade negotiators elsewhere in the world as well."

Mr Letwin was then asked if the UK has in fact got any of its own trade negotiators.

"No, no," he said.

"We don't have trade negotiators because the trade negotiation has been going on in the EU so we are going to have to hire a whole - David Davis is going to have to hire - group to deal with the EU negotiations and Liam Fox of course in what I think is an excellent plan of Theresa's to create a new Department of International Trade."

Boris Johnson could also play a role in negotiations with the EU as the newly appointed Foreign Secretary, and Mr Letwin said he believes that Mr Johnson, Dr Fox and Mr Davis will be able to work well together.

He said: "Oh totally, yes. First of all they are all three very talented individuals.

"Secondly, actually politicians are terribly grown up."

Mr Letwin said the challenge of Brexit will see politicians "come together, work in the national interest and get things done".

He also insisted that Mr Davis is the right man to lead the UK's divorce from Brussels.

"I have known David obviously for many, many years and I have negotiated a certain number of things with him and I can tell you he is a jolly tough cookie and that's what we need," he said.

He also insisted he was not surprised to have been fired from his cabinet job.

He said: "Not particularly actually, no, because it was clear that Theresa was forming a different kind of cabinet and I wasn't to be part of it."

Philip Hammond, the former foreign secretary and newly appointed Chancellor, has previously said that Britain is willing to hire trade negotiators from "wherever" it can in the world.

He said the Government is "actively seeking" to recruit trade specialists to help the UK strike the deals it needs for when it has formally left the EU.

That includes approaching former civil servants who have retired and those who have moved to the private sector.