WASHINGTON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made it clear to President Joe Biden on Saturday that he would like to conclude a new trade agreement between the US and the UK.
The pressure for a new deal came in a broad appeal between the two leaders who touched on the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Biden administration who announced this week that the US would rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization. , according to a statement from Downing Street.
A new trade deal between the allies is a higher priority for Johnson than for Biden. The UK regained control of its national trade policy at the beginning of the month after the end of a post-Brexit transition period.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that the government had no timeline for closing a new trade deal, as Biden’s focus is largely on getting the coronavirus pandemic under control and pushing Congress to roll out the $ coronavirus plan. 1.9 trillion to approve the president.
Janet Yellen, the nominee for Biden’s Treasury Secretary, also indicated during her confirmation hearing earlier this week that Biden was not keen on new trade deals.
“President Biden has made it clear that he will not sign any new free trade agreements until the US makes major investments in American workers and our infrastructure,” Yellen said.
Downing Street said Saturday that Biden and Johnson “discussed the benefits of a possible free trade agreement between our two countries,” and Johnson “reiterated his commitment to resolve existing trade issues as soon as possible.”
The White House said in its own statement that the two leaders spoke about fighting climate change, tackling COVID-19, and ensuring global health protection and shared foreign policy priorities in China, Iran and Russia. But the statement notably made no mention of any discussion of trade.
In any case, the Johnson call was Biden’s third call with a foreign counterpart since Friday. The president spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday evening.