Joe Biden says trade deals won't be his priority in snub to Boris Johnson's Brexit Britain
Joe Biden speaks at a car rally at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit - Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Joe Biden has ruled out prioritising signing trade deals when he enters office in January - in a snub to Boris Johnson's Brexit Britain.
Biden looks set to take a similar 'America First' approach to the economy as his predecessor Donald Trump.
The 78-year-old Democrat politician told the New York Times: “I’m not going to enter any new trade agreement with anybody until we have made major investments here at home and in our workers and in education.”
He added: “I want to make sure we’re going to fight like hell by investing in America first.”
Downing Street had hoped that the new administration could be more receptive to signing a post-Brexit trade deal acceptable to both sides of the Atlantic when he enters office in January.
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But his comments are likely to pour cold water on the likelihood of a deal being agreed after the transition period ends.
In September, before the election, Biden issued a warning to Johnson's government.
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He said: “We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit.
“Any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period.”
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