President-elect Joe Biden (pending recounts and concessions) will not prioritise trade talks with the UK in his first 100 days of office, one of his advisors told the Telegraph.
He will likely turn his attention to domestic legislation initially and may face challenges appointing the new US Trade Representative who will lead the talks, given the Senate looks likely to remain under Republican control.
UK-US relations will not be helped if PM Johnson presses ahead with the contentious Internal Market Bill which Joe Biden has spoken out against, reports the Guardian.
'Collision course'
The Guardian observed that Johnson “has put himself on a collision course with the [new] Joe Biden administration in the US” after the Prime Minister vowed to proceed with legislation that would override Northern Ireland elements of the Withdrawal Agreement.
This was after the House of Lords voted overwhelmingly to remove measures in the Internal Market Bill that seek to dilute parts of the Northern Ireland protocol.
US president-elect Biden has warned the UK against endangering the Good Friday Agreement.
Johnson hopes to align with Biden on other policy issues around security, supporting international institutions and climate, according to another report in the FT.
EU-UK talks latest
PM Johnson spoke with European Commission President von der Leyen over the phone on Saturday and the pair agreed to remain in close “personal contact” during the final stages of the talks, according to Politico.
While progress is being made by the negotiating teams, the significant differences on fisheries and state-aid remain.
EU lawmakers told Reuters on Friday that a deal will need to be reached in the next week or so.
“It’s getting tight,” one legislator said, adding that if the parliament is to ratify any agreement at a plenary sitting on 16 December, it will have to have the full text by 16 November.
