In Biden's Oval Office, Johnson's big Brexit promise slips away

US president makes clear trade deal with UK still far off

Boris Johnson talked up a trade deal with the US as one of the major prizes of his campaign for Brexit. Sitting in the Oval Office on Tuesday, it was clear the UK leader has little hope of delivering it.

“We’re going to talk a little bit about trade today and we’re going to have to work that through,” US President Joe Biden told reporters at the start of his meeting with Johnson, when asked about the prospects for an agreement. The lukewarm response comes after the British prime minister himself tried to downplay expectations of progress. On the plane to New York, he told reporters Biden has “a lot of fish to fry” and didn’t have time to negotiate. He also hinted to Sky News he doesn’t expect an agreement before the next UK general election, due in 2024.

Biden and Johnson also discussed Northern Ireland, climate change and Afghanistan during the 90-minute meeting. The UK is keen to strike free trade deals around the world in the wake of leaving the EU's single market - including with the US, with which annual trade was worth an estimated $273 billion (£200bn) in 2019.

Then hours before Johnson’s meeting with Biden came a major strategy shift, which also risks coming to nothing. A person familiar with the matter said the UK is exploring joining an existing free-trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, a recognition that the Biden administration won’t start talks on a bespoke deal any time soon.