PM Liz Truss: No post-Brexit US trade deal ‘in short to medium term’
Prime minister Liz truss has admitted the UK will not be able to strike a post-Brexit trade deal with the US anytime soon, as she lands in New York to address the UN.
Britain’s newly-elected leader made the concession to reporters in the US after touching down on Tuesday, with a meeting scheduled with President Joe Biden tomorrow.
The former international trade and foreign secretary told reporters, according to the Times: “There isn’t currently any negotiation taking place with the US and I don’t have an expectation that those are going to start in the short to medium term.”
This comes after Truss was a key player in facilitating plans for a post-Brexit deal with the US, following the UK’s formal exit in January 2020.
Truss said her top goals during the New York visit were “getting CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership ) accession, getting a trade deal with India, getting a trade deal with the GCC.”
Nick Thomas Symonds MP, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for international trade said the admission was “terrible news for the UK economy – it is costing billions in lost potential trade opportunities and holding back growth.”
“There is no doubt that the blame for this mess lies at the door of the Prime Minister, who tarnished the UK’s international reputation as Foreign and International Trade Secretary. This is an embarrassment for Liz Truss.