The United States National Security Adviser John Bolton said that the US would propose a series of accelerated trade deals with the United Kingdom, adding that the US government supports a no-deal Brexit.
"To be clear, in the Trump administration, Britain's constantly at the front of the trade queue, or line as we say," told Bolton to Reporters, "We want to move very quickly. We wish we could have moved further along in this with the prior government," he added.
Bolton, who met with Johnson and senior officials to discuss the US-UK trading relationship, highlighted that the United States is ready to negotiate now and that both countries could sign sector-by-sector trade deals.
"You could do it sector-by-sector, you could do it in a modular fashion, in other words, you could carve out some areas where it might be possible to reach a bilateral agreement very quickly, very straightforwardly," he explained, adding that a deal concerning the financial sector would be harder to reach.
The United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised his voters to leave the European Union by October 31 with or without a deal. Since the negotiations are essentially stalled due to the Irish backstop issue, the chances of a disorderly exit are higher than ever (though Johnson himself claims that are very low), an outcome that is strongly opposed by the elites of the conservative party, though acceptable for the radical euro-skeptics.
Bolton also claimed that the relationship of the U.S. government and its British counterpart is "off to a roaring start." This unconditional support from the United States is like a breath of fresh air for a government that is currently being threatened by the possibility of a no-confidence vote right after the British Parliament comes back from its summer recess. Trump, which is very similar to his British counterpart, is also pushing economic measures that are questioned by analysts and the american elites, so this unconditional support makes sense politically speaking.
"I think if that’s the decision of the British government, we will support it enthusiastically," answered Bolton when asked about a "no-deal" Brexit, "And that’s what I’m trying to convey: We’re with you. We’re with you," he added.
The British government stated that Johnson Joined Bolton and senior officials to discuss a range of issues, among them the Brexit.
“They also spoke about Brexit and a range of other issues – including Iran, Hong Kong and 5G,” they said.
The United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union on October 31.