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Scott Morrison has hailed a free trade deal with the United Kingdom as the most comprehensive and ambitious in Australia's history.

The prime minister and his British counterpart Boris Johnson announced the deal on Tuesday after sealing an in-principle agreement over dinner overnight.

"I said we would wait for the right deal, and I think we've got the right deal between the UK and Australia," Mr Morrison told reporters outside 10 Downing Street.

"Our economies are stronger by these agreements. This is the most comprehensive and ambitious agreement that Australia has concluded."

The deal will pave the way for more Australians to live and work in Britain and offer exporters more market options.

It will also scrap a requirement for British backpackers to work on Australian farms before extending their visas.

This could create issues for producers who need seasonal workers to pick crops and regional pubs and clubs who rely heavily on working holiday makers.

But the Nationals say they have secured an agreement to guard against labour shortages, which will be separate to the UK trade deal.

Mr Morrison said the number of Australians expected to live and work in Britain would be demand-driven.

"We go into this boldly and confidently. It's a great opportunity for people of both countries," he said.

Several key sticking points needed to be overcome before the initial agreement could be reached.

Agriculture proved to be the major obstacle with squabbles over Australian lamb, beef and dairy products.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan talked up the UK pact during a coalition party room meeting in Canberra.

"Our aim is to have the best deal outside of the deal with New Zealand. The negotiations have been hard fought," he said

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud was slightly more circumspect, telling reporters it was another feather in Australia's cap, but not one that would rival trade with Asia and the Middle East.

The UK is Australia's fifth largest trading partner, with two-way goods and services valued at $36.6 billion, and its second biggest investment partner.

Mr Tehan said Australian dairy producers were limited to an import quota of 44 grams of cheese per person every year, while the average Briton consumed 125 grams of cheese per week.

"What's more, they are missing out on eating the best lamb chops, the best steak in the world and washing it down with the best glass of Australian wine that you could imagine," he said.

Ahead of the formal announcement, the prime minister made a free trade pitch to business leaders from both countries.

He said it was the most substantial deal done since the UK withdrew from the European Union.

"As the United Kingdom moves into a completely new generation of their trading relationships with the world, who better to start that journey with than Australia?" Mr Morrison said.

He described the UK joining the common European market decades ago as a devastating blow to Australian producers.

"The Brexit that has occurred is an opportunity for us to pick up where we left off all those many years ago and to once again realise the scale of the trading relationship we once had."

Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles said Labor had concerns about agricultural exports and visa conditions for farm workers, which the party would work through in time.

© AAP 2021

Victor Radley could be in hot water with the NRL again with the integrity unit investigating why he was kicked off a flight on the Gold Coast.

The Sydney Roosters lock is believed to have been removed from a flight to Sydney on Saturday night after the club's win over Gold Coast.

Radley was not travelling with the rest of the Roosters team and had travelled instead with friends to watch friend Ben Thomas make his debut.

It's understood he was removed from the flight on Saturday night while allegedly intoxicated and instead flew home with Roosters officials on Sunday morning.

There is no suggestion he was abusive or violent towards staff and the Roosters have since informed the NRL of the matter.

"The integrity is aware of an alleged incident and is liaising with the club," an NRL spokesman told AAP.

It's not the first time Radley has been looked at by the integrity unit this year.

He was handed a two-match ban in March for a breach of the game's code of conduct when he allegedly tackled a man outside a house party in Byron Bay.

The 23-year-old was last month denied a State of Origin debut when he was suspended for five games over a high tackle and dangerous contact.

The NRL confirmed on Tuesday he would be able to return in round 17, with Origin I counting towards his ban given he was likely to be picked for NSW but not Origin II.

© AAP 2021

Telstra has doubled the number of spam calls it blocks in just four months, with its monthly tally now averaging around 13 million blocked calls.

The crackdown on such calls is part of Telstra's "Cleaner Pipes" initiative.

Four months ago the country's biggest telecommunications provider blocked around 6.5 million suspected and suspicious spam calls.

Phone scams have already cost Australians $25 million so far this year, which Scamwatch estimates is on track to surpass last year's $48 million lost to scam callers.

Some of the most common scam calls are one-ring or 'wangiri' scams and callers using spoofed numbers (overseas numbers which appear as local numbers) to pretend they represent legitimate services like the Australian Taxation Office or Telstra itself.

By phone is the most common way scammers target victims and the most successful in terms of financial loss, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Almost half of scam victims in 2020 were contacted by phone, 22 per cent by email, 15 per cent by text message and almost 11 per cent by social networking and other internet-based avenues, the commission reported in June.

Telstra said in a statement on Tuesday its technology couldn't stop scammers entirely.

"Customers need to stay vigilant and exercise a healthy scepticism about incoming calls."

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been providing scam telephone numbers to Telstra since 2019 so the provider can investigate and find ways of blocking and tracing the calls.

Telstra can now block scam calls at scale with a platform that was built in-house.

This is part of an initiative to reduce the harm of phishing, malware, ransomware and other scams online and through voice and SMS.

© AAP 2021