Trump Working with Boris Johnson on 'Very Substantial' Post-Brexit Trade Deal
UK, US leaders join forces on deal said to include ‘unparalleled’ trade opportunities
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Just days after taking office as British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is already working on a "very substantial" post-Brexit trade deal with US President Donald Trump.
While speaking about joining forces to outline plans for a deal between the UK and US, the two leaders said the unity will include "unparalleled" trade opportunities.
According to President Trump, the deal could potentially create a "three to four or five times" increase in trade between the two countries following Britain’s scheduled departure from the European Union.
Speaking to reporters from the White House, President Trump said:
"We’re working already on a trade agreement.
"And I think it’ll be a very substantial trade agreement.
"You know we can do with the UK, we can do three to four times, we were actually impeded by their relationship with the European Union.
"We were very much impeded on trade."
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Mr. Trump continued: "We don’t do the kind of trade we could do with what some people say is Great Britain.
"And some people, remember a word you don’t hear too much is the word England, which is a piece of it.
"But with the UK we could do much, much more trade and we expect to do that."
An official from Boris Johnson's team confirmed the two leaders had "expressed their commitment to delivering an ambitious free trade agreement."
A spokesman added: "They agreed that Brexit offers an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen the economic partnership between the UK and United States."
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The pair also used their Friday phone call to discuss escalating tensions with Iran on both sides of the Atlantic following the seizure of a British oil tanker earlier this month.
Trump says the UK had "needed" Mr. Johnson to lead the country for quite some time, saying, "He has what it takes.
"I think we can have a great relationship and Boris is going to be a great prime minister.
"I predict he will be a great prime minister."
Mr Trump has previously praised the new Prime Minister even before his victory in the Tory leadership contest, where he won 66% of the Conservative Party membership’s votes.
Speaking to a crowd of young US conservatives on Tuesday, he said: "We have a really good man who is going to be the prime minister of the UK now: Boris Johnson.
"Good man. He’s tough and he’s smart.
"They’re saying ‘Britain Trump’.
"They call him Britain Trump and it’s people saying that’s a good thing.
"They like me over there. That’s what they wanted. That’s what they need."
