US President Donald Trump has promised the new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson the conclusion of a „very comprehensive free trade agreement“.
So far, Britain’s membership of the European Union has prevented such an agreement, Trump said yesterday following a phone call with Johnson. Bilateral trade could be significantly expanded.
Free trade agreements are agreed by the EU centrally for all member states. The UK is unlikely to become a member of the EU from November and will be able to conclude bilateral trade agreements in the future.
Some hurdles
Trump had already promised London a free trade agreement in case they left the EU. Experts, however, are very skeptical: Negotiating such agreements is very tedious, and Britain has much less bargaining power than the EU as a whole. A planned free trade agreement between the EU and the USA, for example, was shelved after the election of Trump in 2016.
Johnson, a leading Brexit advocate, has been prime minister since Wednesday as successor to Theresa May. Trump said Johnson will be „a great Prime Minister“.
