Donald Trump would ‘certainly’ do trade deal with UK, Boris Johnson says
Boris Johnson has suggested that Donald Trump would “certainly” do a trade deal with the UK.
The former prime minister said the US president-elect is offering “economic hope” but that the Government would be “too pathetic” to try to secure a deal.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage said the UK needs to “roll out the red carpet” for the incoming president and said that America is “our most important relationship” in terms of trade.
It comes after a senior Democrat suggested that Mr Trump could offer the UK a “lane” to ease trade.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Government is making efforts to smooth over tensions with the president-elect, who has said he wants to increase tariffs on goods imported from around the world by 10 per cent, rising to 60 per cent on items from China.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Johnson said the US stock market is “surging” following Mr Trump’s victory and that “investors can see that by deregulation […] Trump is offering economic hope”.
The former prime minister added: “What about the threat of tariffs on China and others, you say. Well, he said that last time – and ended up doing a free trade deal with Beijing.
“Donald Trump would certainly do a free trade deal with the UK too – though I expect the Starmer Government is too pathetic to try.”
Earlier on Friday Reform UK leader Mr Farage said the UK should “roll out the red carpet” to build bridges with the US, and insisted the relationship between the two countries is “mendable”.
He told the PA news agency: “Whether you like Trump or not, this is the important point, that in terms of intelligence sharing, in terms of defence, in terms of investment, in terms of trade, America is our most important relationship.”
Mr Farage later said: “(The) most important thing will be the tariff regime.
“He’s talking about putting a 10 per cent tariff on all goods that are being sent to America, and we’ve got to start negotiating fast to make sure we’re not part of that.”
Mr Trump vowed during his campaign that he would tax all goods imported into the US if he won back the White House, saying he thought “tariff” was “the most beautiful word in the dictionary”.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Democrat governor Phil Murphy, who knows Mr Trump personally, offered an optimistic assessment of what a Trump presidency might mean for British exports, and pointed towards Brexit.
Mr Murphy said: “I’m sure you are concerned about tariffs, the bilateral relationship.
“If I had to speculate I would say there’s a lane for the UK.
“There’s less of a lane for the EU and Nato.
“There’s a lane for the UK to be determined.”
Mr Murphy added: “He is somebody who I think will have sympathy with an entity leaving a larger club.
“There was a certain relationship here – Brexit and Trump were born in the same year.
“I can’t speak for the president but I think there is an embedded sympathy for someone who leaves a bureaucracy, leaves a club.”
Press Association reporters