Boris Johnson hails Donald Trump’s pledge to secure rapid trade deal with Britain and says it must be ‘very much in the interests of both sides’
The Foreign Secretary said any deal should be "very much in the interests of both sides" after the US president-elect made clear it would be a priority for his administration
DONALD Trump's pledge of a rapid trade agreement with Britain after Brexit is "very good news", Boris Johnson has said.
The Foreign Secretary said any deal should be "very much in the interests of both sides" after the US president-elect made clear it would be a priority for his administration.
Mr Johnson and Downing Street welcomed Mr Trump's comments in an interview with Michael Gove for .
The former US Apprentice host said he “loves” the UK and declared he wants to help make Brexit a “great thing” with a bumper transatlantic trade deal within weeks of taking office.
Speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Mr Johnson said: "I think it's very good news that the United States of America wants to do a good free-trade deal with us and wants to do it very fast.
"It's great to hear that from president-elect Donald Trump. Clearly it will have to be a deal that's very much in the interests of both sides, but I have no doubt that it will be."
Theresa May's official spokeswoman said the intervention "highlights one of the opportunities of the UK leaving the EU".
She said: "We welcome the enthusiasm and energy the president-elect and his team are showing for engaging with the UK."
Mr Trump's comments were a stark contrast to Barack Obama, who warned Britain would be at the "back of the queue" when it came to a trade deal with the US if we voted to leave the EU last June.
He also revealed he was inviting Theresa May to visit him “right after” he gets into the White House.
In the interview, the President-elect said: “I love the UK.
“We’re gonna work very hard to get it (a trade deal) done quickly and done properly – good for both sides.”
Mr Trump added: “I will be meeting [Mrs May]. She’s requesting a meeting and we’ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House and it’ll be, I think we’re gonna get something done very quickly.”
He also predicted more countries will follow Britain by leaving the European Union – because of the migration crisis and Angela Merkel’s “catastrophic” decision to open Germany’s borders.
He said: “People, countries want their own identity. I believe others will leave.”
Mr Trump said he thought that “Brexit is going to end up being a great thing”.
The pound sank on City fears Mrs May will commit to leaving the single market and the customs union.
But Mr Trump welcomed the fall in the value of the pound for having helped to boost the attractiveness of British products abroad.
The prospect of such a close relationship between the US and the UK will pile pressure on the EU ahead of the Brexit negotiations.
Chancellor Philip Hammond threatened Brussels with an all-out tax war if the EU decides to “wound” Britain in the talks.
During an hour long interview in Trump Tower, the President Elect revealed Theresa May had written to him just after Christmas.
She sent a gift of a copy of Winston Churchill’s address to the American people shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
In the letter the PM told Mr Trump that she hoped the sentiment of “unity and fraternal association” between the two countries was “just as true today as it has ever been”.
The Prime Minister's spokeswoman said it appeared Mr Trump was "delighted" with the gift - sent a few days after Christmas - but indicated that he had not sent Mrs May anything in return.
Britain kept up the charm offensive by breaking ranks with the international community over calls for a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis — in a notably pro-Israeli shift.
President Trump will be inaugurated on Friday — taking over the most powerful position in the world.
In his interview he revealed he wants to strike a nuclear reduction deal with President Putin in return for the lifting of US sanctions.
And he slammed America’s foreign policy over the past 15 years — describing the decision to invade Iraq as “possibly the worst decision ever made in the history of our country”.
The President-Elect also said he was looking forward to visiting Britain, saying his Scottish mother was “so proud of the Queen”.
He said: “Any time the Queen was on television, an event, my mother would be watching.”
Trump also made an astonishing attack on Angela Merkel saying the European Union is a “vehicle for Germany”.
He said Germany’s dominance of the EU showed why the UK was “so smart” to get out.
And he said Germany’s decision to throw open its borders was “catastrophic” and could lead to the break-up of the union.
He said: “I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals, you know all the people from wherever they come from.
“And nobody even knows where they come from. So I think she made a catastrophic mistake, very bad mistake.”
And he told Mr Gove: “You look at the European Union and it's Germany.
“Basically a vehicle for Germany. That’s why I thought the UK was so smart in getting out.”
Mr Trump also stoked fresh fears for the future of NATO, by saying that while it was “very important to me” the alliance was “obsolete”.
He said: “Only five countries... are paying what they’re supposed to.”
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