U.S. Trusts Britain to Get Brexit Right, Says Pompeo During UK Talks

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (L) speaks at a press conference with US Secretary
Getty Images
Oliver JJ Lane

The Trump administration gave the UK government’s handling of the Brexit process a vote of confidence Wednesday afternoon, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “we trust the United Kingdom”.

The comments came as UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab visited Washington DC for talks today, with discussions touching on the ongoing war of words between London and Brussels about the backstop and the position of Northern Ireland after Brexit.

While anti-Brexit activists in the UK and Brussels have accused Boris Johnson’s government of foul play over recent developments, including plans to rethink the withdrawal agreement, the U.S. offered words of encouragement. Speaking at a joint press conference with his British counterpart, Secretary Pompeo said the administration trusts the UK and that the special relationship was stronger than ever.

Hailing the productive U.S.-UK free trade negotiations talks, Pompeo said good progress was being made and that he anticipated them being concluded positively.

Responding to a question on the much media-hyped possibility that Britain would have to change tack in negotiations, which it is claimed would damage international trust in the nation, Pompeo said: “Yes we trust the United Kingdom. I am confident they will get it right… We have made clear our view of the importance of the Good Friday Agreement, we know the complexity of the situation, we have done what we can to provide assistance where we can.”

The Secretary of State also aluded to how incredibly long it has taken to execute the will of the British people, who voted for Brexit far back in 2016 but who have been dragged through endless rounds of delay since, particularly under the leadership of one-time Remain campaigner Theresa May. He said: “At the end this will be a set of decisions with respect to this that the United Kingdom makes and I have great confidence they will get this right in a way that treats everyone fairly and gets a good outcome for what it was the people of the United Kingdom voted for now several years back.”

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