Brexit trade talks between US and UK delayed until next spring – reports

With the US election due in November, a possible deal between the US and UK before the Brexit transition period ended was unlikely, but it now looks unachievable.

The Express reports, in a blow to Liz Truss and the UK government, the two sides have agreed to postpone a series of meetings that were due to be held in Boston until next spring, although some talks will continue this autumn.

The newspaper reports that the coronavirus pandemic has been blamed.

Last month Truss told a House of Lords select committee that it had deliberately not set a specific timetable for the talks to avoid being pressured by Washington.

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She said: ‘We have never publicly stated a timeframe for the US deal and that’s deliberate.

‘We do not want our interlocutors to use time pressure against us.

‘We won’t set a deadline and say we will meet that deadline.

A Department for International Trade statement said: ‘Positive progress continues to be made in many of the areas covered by an agreement.

‘Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to negotiating a comprehensive and ambitious agreement.

‘In terms of the timeline of negotiations, it was agreed that they should continue at pace throughout the autumn.’

Joe Biden is said to favour a deal with the EU over a post-Brexit agreement with Britain, but experts believe an agreement with a Biden administration would be more meaningful than one with Trump.