Boris Johnson gears up to start EU and US trade talks within weeks of Brexit
- Boris Johnson is preparing to kickstart talks with the US and EU after Brexit
- He is expected to publish a set of position papers outlining priorities for trade
- He vows to put ‘people before passports’ when drawing up immigration system
Boris Johnson is preparing to kickstart trade talks with both the US and EU within weeks of Brexit, it emerged last night.
The Prime Minister will set out his vision for the country’s future in a major speech at the start of next month.
He is also expected to publish a detailed set of position papers outlining the Government’s priorities for post-Brexit trade.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the Conference on Libya in Berlin, Germany, January 19, 2020
Whitehall officials are gearing up for simultaneous negotiations with the EU Commission and the US after January 31
Whitehall officials are gearing up for simultaneous negotiations with the EU Commission and the US after January 31. However, formal talks with the EU could be delayed until the start of March while the bloc prepares its position.
Brexiteer Sir Iain Duncan Smith accused the EU of ‘a deliberate ploy’ to run down the clock. However, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: ‘I fully understand the EU have a process they need to work through.’
Yesterday Mr Johnson said he would put ‘people before passports’ when drawing up a post-Brexit immigration system to ‘attract the best talent from around the world, wherever they may be’.
In a speech to the UK-Africa Investment Summit he said he wanted to make the migration system fairer after Brexit.