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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Lizzy Buchan

Rishi Sunak to meet Joe Biden in White House - but post-Brexit trade deal off table

Rishi Sunak will jet out to the US for his first official trip to Washington as Prime Minister next week.

No10 confirmed that Mr Sunak will fly out for an official visit on June 7 and 8 when he will sit down with Joe Biden, congressional figures and US business leaders.

The economy and support for Ukraine will be on the table - but the PM is not expected to use the visit to push for a transatlantic trade deal after Mr Biden and his allies poured cold water on the idea.

Brexiteers previously trumpeted a US-UK trade pact as a key benefit of leaving the EU, but the Biden administration appeared reluctant to engage on the issue amid tensions over the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland.

The PM is not expected to meet Donald Trump during the trip - who dined with Boris Johnson last week at one of the former President's golf clubs.

Boris Johnson during a meeting with Greg Abbott, governor of Texas, in Austin on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The PM's official spokesman said: "The visit will be an opportunity to build on the discussions the Prime Minister and President Biden have had in recent months about enhancing the level of cooperation and coordination between the UK and US on the economic challenges that will define our future, including securing our supply chains and transitioning to zero carbon economies.

"It will also be an opportunity to discuss issues including sustaining support for Ukraine as we build on the success of the G7 summit in the run up to the NATO summit in June."

Asked if the PM would push for a trade deal, the spokesman said: "I wouldn't expect either side to be pushing on that.

"As we've confirmed previously, we are not seeking to pursue a free trade deal with the US currently. We know that no trade partnership is more important than one we have with the US, it's our largest trading partner.

"It's worth remembering the trade relationship as it currently stands is worth £279billion already. We have achieved all of that without an FTA (free trade agreement) but we are pursuing targeted trade outcomes to break down the few barriers that exist in UK-US trade."

The spokesman said deals have been inked with individual states such as North Carolina, Indiana and South Carolina, and discussions are underway with Utah, Oklahoma, Texas and California.

Mr Sunak and President Biden met in San Diego earlier this year to agree a submarine pact alongside Australian leader Anthony Albanese and the G7 summit in Japan this month.

They also met in Belfast in April during the commemorations of the Good Friday Agreement - but President Biden did not come to London.

Mr Sunak will be hoping to leave his domestic woes behind as an explosive row rages between the Government and the independent Covid inquiry about disclosures of Boris Johnson's unredacted WhatsApps, notebooks and diaries.

A deadline for the Government to hand over the evidence by 4pm today has now been extended after officials said they didn't have all the documents.

Failure to hand over the documents could lead to a legal battle between the inquiry and the Cabinet Office.

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