U.S. and UK to ‘Deepen and Expand’ Bilateral Trade Post-Brexit

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DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty
Victoria Friedman

The United States is looking to “deepen and expand” its trade relationship with the United Kingdom, according to the White House, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prioritises the country’s future outside of the EU over surrendering the country to the “vassalage” of Brussels.

Prime Minister Johnson went on the offensive with Eurocrats this week, refusing to sit down with any representatives from Brussels, Berlin, or Paris to discuss Brexit until the contentious Irish backstop is removed from the withdrawal treaty. He also formed a “War Cabinet” for no-deal Brexit planning and put in motion preparations for free trade with the rest of the world.

The prime minister and President Trump had a successful telephone conversation on Friday after Mr Johnson had taken office, during which the two world leaders discussed the “unparalleled opportunities” of a free trade agreement, according to Downing Street.

President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, said of that conversation in a statement on Monday: “President Donald J. Trump spoke with Prime Minister Boris Johnson last Friday in their first official communication since the Prime Minister took office.

“They discussed the importance of continuing to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and United Kingdom.

“Specifically, they agreed to immediately deepen and expand the bilateral economic relationship upon the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.”

With Mr Johnson’s Brexit plans apace, Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss met with American ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson on Monday, and will be meeting with her stateside counterparts Robert Lighthizer and Wilbur Ross in the U.S. capital in August.

Ms Truss had said that her “main priority now will be agreeing a free-trade deal with the US, building on the successful phone call between the Prime Minister and President Trump” and that her team will also be exploring trade deals with Commonwealth nations.

Ambassador Johnson said of the meeting yesterday: “U.S.-UK trade is already worth $260 billion annually – excellent to meet new UK Trade Secretary Liz Truss today to discuss further opportunities to increase this and boost our shared prosperity.”

Speaking to LBC, Conservative Brexiteer MP Nigel Evans said that the EU will soon regret its intransigence on renegotiating the unpopular withdrawal treaty, after it sees the progress the United Kingdom makes in planning its economic future outside of the bloc.

Mr Evans said that he had spoken to “three Republican Congressmen” visiting the UK who said “they are really keen to get on with a deal with the United Kingdom”.

“This deal with the United States of America is going to be important not just to the UK trade that we’re going to expand — and we’ve got a £50 billion surplus with America — but also, that the growth in trade between America and the United Kingdom is going to lead to leverage with the European Union, who are going to look aghast at the fact that all of a sudden, a number of countries including America, one of the jewels in crown, want to do a deal with Britain,” the MP said.

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