Joe Biden ‘will not prioritise’ UK-US trade deal
Joe Biden will reportedly not prioritise UK-US trade deal discussions in the first 100 days of his presidency.
The president-elect has shown little interest in the talks and will focus instead on domestic legislation, an adviser to his campaign told the Telegraph.
The Democrat would also face hurdles appointing his US trade representative to lead the talks as the Senate, which must vote through appointments, could be controlled by Republicans.
This casts uncertainty over whether the two sides could secure an agreement by July next year, when the president loses the power to negotiate trade deals under US laws.
Asked whether Biden would prioritise trade talks with Britain, the adviser told the Telegraph: “No, definitely not in the first 100 days.”
“No one is going to want to test that out as the first piece of legislation,” the source added.
Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris last night released their first public schedule, which outlined the transition process and planning for the start of the new presidency.
Biden will launch a new 12-person coronavirus taskforce and select officials to serve under his administration.
The schedule also outlined urgent orders to roll back some of the legislation passed under Donald Trump.
The prioritise mean that US-UK trade talks are likely to be pushed back by a number of months, with concerns that the key congressional deadline in July could be missed.