Trump preparing for ‘very big’ trade treaty with Britain
DONALD Trump yesterday hailed Boris Johnson as “the right man” to deliver Brexit as the two leaders laid the groundwork for a “very big trade deal” between the UK and the US within a year.
During a gathering of world leaders in France, the US President predicted that Britain will be far better off without the “anchor” of the EU holding the country back.
He also forecast that the Prime Minister will be a “fantastic” leader for the UK while pouring scorn on his predecessor
Theresa May for leaving the transatlantic trade talks “stymied”.
The chemistry between the two leaders was obvious during their breakfast meeting at the
G7 Summit in Biarritz.
It was the first time the two men had met since Mr Johnson took over in Downing Street last month.
During their hour-long talk, they agreed to set up a new “Special Relationship EconomicWorking Group” to build commercial ties between the US and the UK, while the US delegation signalled its desire to finalise a transatlantic trade deal by next summer.
Mr Trump told journalists the meeting had been “very, very good” and added: “We’re working on a very big trade deal. I think it’s going to work out very well.”
He also confirmed a transatlantic trade deal could be finalised “pretty quickly” after the UK quits the EU.
“We don’t anticipate any problems,” he said.
Mr Johnson said he had “formidable respect for US trade negotiators”.
He added: “I know that there will be some tough talks ahead, because at the moment we don’t sell a single joint of British lamb to the US.
“We don’t sell any beef.We don’t sell any pork pies.
“And there are clearly huge opportunities for the UK to penetrate the American market in the way that we currently don’t.We’re very interested to talk about that with you.”
Mr Johnson said Mr Trump had already accepted that the NHS would not be on the table in the trade talks.
The Prime Minister also admitted that agreeing a UK-US trade deal within a year would be “tight” but insisted he wanted an agreement as soon as possible.
“We’re keen to go as fast as we can but we want this to be a really big, thorough, comprehensive trade deal,” he said.