US MUST COMPROMISE TO GET UK TRADE DEAL: JOHNSON
Prime Minister Boris Johnson used a preG7 summit phone call to U.S. President Donald Trump to demand he lower trade barriers and open up parts of the U.S. economy to British firms, citing a wide range of markets from cars to cauliflowers.
The two spoke on Friday ahead of the meeting of world leaders in the French resort of Biarritz, where they are expected to talk up the prospect of a bilateral trade deal once Britain leaves the European Union. “There is a massive opportunity for Britain but we must understand that it is not all going to be plain sailing,” he said during his flight to France, relaying details of the call to travelling reporters.
“There remain very considerable barriers in the U.S. to British businesses which are not widely understood.”
Brexit advocates, including Johnson, have hailed the ability to strike free trade deals with countries such as the United States as one of the main benefits of leaving the EU. Critics say the terms that Trump will demand are likely
to damage the British economy in the long run.the two leaders are due to meet in person on Sunday morning, which is expected to result in more positive talk about a trade deal, building on a previous promise made by Trump to agree a “fantastic” deal. Nevertheless, Johnson has used the trip to indirectly criticize Trump, saying a global trade war needed to de-escalate, and that those responsible for rising tariffs could be held responsible for damaging the world economy.
BIARRITZ, FRANCE (REUTERS), 25 AUG, 2019 -