Donald Trump congratulated Boris Johnson on his election victory

Donald Trump congratulated Boris Johnson on his election victory
REUTERS
Stephanie Cockroft16 December 2019
WEST END FINAL

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Donald Trump has congratulated Boris Johnson on his general election victory, Downing Street has said.

A No 10 spokesman said they discussed their wish to secure an “ambitious” post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and the US.

“The Prime Minister spoke with President Trump, who congratulated him on the result of the general election,” the spokesman said.

“They discussed the huge importance of the relationship between the UK and US, and looked forward to continued close co-operation on issues such as security and trade, including the negotiation of an ambitious free trade agreement.”

After the election result the US President took to Twitter to congratulate Boris Johnson on his “great win” in the general election, and said the UK and US would now be free to strike a “massive” new trade deal after Brexit.

Mr Trump said the agreement had the potential to be “far bigger and more lucrative” than any deal which could have been made with the European Union.

He tweeted: “Congratulations to Boris Johnson on his great WIN! Britain and the United States will now be free to strike a massive new Trade Deal after BREXIT.

“This deal has the potential to be far bigger and more lucrative than any deal that could be made with the E.U. Celebrate Boris!”​

The prospect of a trade deal with the US was a major talking point during the election campaign, with Labour claiming the NHS was at risk of being sold off to US companies in the fallout from Brexit.

Those accusations were denied by both sides, with Mr Trump telling journalists during his recent visit to Britain for the Nato summit that he wants “nothing to do with” the health service.

He added that he had “never even thought about it”, despite stating during a previous visit that “when you’re dealing in trade, everything is on the table”.

The PM and President have a chequered history, with Mr Johnson once joking that he would avoid some parts of New York because of the “real risk” of meeting him.

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