UK Prime Minister arrived in the US to discuss issues with President Joe Biden

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The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has arrived at the White House complex for talks with Joe Biden after downplaying the likelihood of striking a post-Brexit trade deal with the US in the coming years. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister met vice president Kamala Harris in her office, welcoming the great improvement of the removal of the blanket travel ban on the UK and describing Biden’s climate funding commitment as a great day for the world. He admired the bravery of US troops in the Afghanistan evacuations and said “On trade, we are seeing real progress, particularly over the curious ban on British beef”, which provoked a chuckle from Harris. But Johnson was unable to commit to securing the comprehensive free trade deal that was touted as a prize of Brexit by Leave supporters during the EU referendum.

The UK Prime Minister will meet the US President in the Oval Office later on Tuesday afternoon, having arrived at Union Station in Washington DC by train. Speaking to journalists earlier in New York where he has been attending a UN summit, Johnson said, “There were plenty of reasons to be optimistic about getting the free trade agreement (FTA) with the US”. But the Vote Leave figurehead earlier downplayed the prospects of getting a trade deal by the next election, raising the possibility that he could leave Downing Street without achieving a key ambition for the post-Brexit era. His concession came after suggesting trade negotiations are not a priority for the US president. Asked if he would get the deal by 2024, the Prime Minister informed Sky News and said, “We will keep going with free trade deals around the world including in the United States”.

Johnson added, “I have plenty of reason to be optimistic about that. But the Americans do negotiate very hard”. Since Biden succeeded Donald Trump in his first visit to the White House, the UK Prime Minister is expected to discuss the stalled trade talks with the president, as well as what further efforts they can take to address the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Johnson conceded Britain and the US could have possibly taken a different course over the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. He said, “America has been there for 20 years and it’s a respectable argument to say that enough is enough. Look, I mean, could we have done it a bit differently? Maybe we could”. The Prime Minister had pleaded with the president to push back his deadline for drawing down all US troops after the Taliban marched back to power.