Johnson admits he faces wait on US trade deal
PM bigged up UK’S ability to secure deals after Brexit but talks have stalled since Biden became president
BORIS JOHNSON appears to have given up hope of securing a UK-US free trade deal any time soon, saying that US president Joe Biden has other “fish to fry”.
In comments that underscored how many steps remain until a final agreement is struck, the Prime Minister said he would rather wait for a “great” deal than hurry talks.
Mr Johnson’s official spokesman declined to say he believed a deal could be struck and get through Congress before the US midterm elections in Nov 2022.
It means that more than half a decade after the Brexit vote it remains unclear how, when and what form a UK-US trade deal – much touted in that campaign by Eurosceptics – will happen.
Mr Johnson will today visit the White House for the first time since becoming
‘On the FTA, the reality is that Joe has a lot of fish to fry… what we want is a good FTA, a great FTA’
Prime Minister, more than two years ago, and hold face-to-face talks with Mr Biden in the Oval Office.
He will also meet Kamala Harris, the US vice-president seen as a potential future presidential candidate, before tomorrow meeting Congressional leaders, Democrats and Republicans.
Speaking to reporters on his flight to New York, Mr Johnson played down the hopes of a speedy breakthrough on trade talks. “On the FTA [free trade agreement] the reality is that Joe has a lot of fish to fry. He’s got a huge infrastructure package, he’s got a ‘build back better’ package.
“We want to do it, but what we want is a good FTA, a great FTA. And I have quite a lot of experience of American negotiations, and they are pretty ruthless, the American negotiators.
“I would much rather get a deal that really works for the UK than get a quick deal.”
Mr Johnson was one of the leaders of the successful Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum and championed the ability of the UK to secure new trade deals after Brexit.
For years the UK, as part of the EU, was unable to negotiate directly with Washington. Progress was made during Donald Trump’s presidency, before he was voted out of office last year. Mr
‘Our relations with the US are about as good as they have been at any time in decades’
Biden, who entered the White House in January, has adopted a much more cautious approach to trade deals in general than Mr Trump, stressing they are not a priority. In part, that reflects complicated politics within his own Democratic Party, given leading figures on its Left wing, including Bernie Sanders, have voiced criticism.
Talks on the UK-US trade deal have stalled since Mr Biden became president, with Katherine Tai, US trade representative, only taking up the post in April.
There remains doubt about whether Mr Biden is willing to prioritise pushing a deal through Congress, given just one Democratic rebel is enough to lead to defeat in the US Senate.
It is possible the Republicans could take back control of the Senate, allowing them to block Democratic legislation, which would throw the deal further into doubt.
Discussing his relationship with Mr Biden, Mr Johnson declined to say that the pair were friends. They have only talked and met a few times since Mr Biden’s inauguration in January.
But the Prime Minister did say they shared a common passion. “He’s a bit of a train nut, as am I,” Mr Johnson told reporters. The Prime Minister painted a rosy picture of the so-called special relationship, referencing past clashes with Mr Trump as he discussed the state of relations now.
Mr Johnson said: “I also think that as we go to Washington our relations with the US are about as good as they have been at any time in decades. When we last flew out a couple of years ago we had all sorts of pebbles in the shoe.
“But I can tell you today we’ve got the British beef ban lifted.
“British beef is being exported to the United States.
“We’ve lifted the tariffs on whisky to the United States.
“We’ve sorted out the Boeing airbus dispute that bedevilled our relations for many years, and we’ve launched a historic pact with our Australian friends as well, which will enable the UK and US to share technology, to develop a defence technology partnership and more, for decades ahead.”