The EU and the US have revealed plans for a stronger economic partnernship.
A tweet shared by France’s foreign trade minister Franck Riester in French stated the European Union and the United States are “historical partners”.
“With my European counterparts, we have prepared the next meeting of the Trade and Technology Council, in order to further strengthen our economic cooperation,” Riester added.
A series of tweets then mentioned Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission for an Economy that Works for People, as well as a large pool of nations, all collaborating for a prosperous future.
The countries mentioned were Romania, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, Hungary, Denmark, Cyprus, Sweden, Lithuania, Ireland, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Slovakia, Malta, Estonia, Bulgaria and Portugal.
Although hopes have been high among UK politicians that they would not lose out outside the bloc as long as they partner up with the US, Biden has not rushed to collaborate with post-Brexit Britain.
In December, a Tory minister in charge of a post-Brexit trade deal with the US has begged Joe Biden to “awaken to an opportunity” to collaborate with the UK.
Trade minister Penny Mordaunt told an event in Atlanta that she wanted the US to wake up to Brexit and argued the US would not get the same benefits from the EU in attempting to convince Biden to work with Britain – but even prime minister Boris Johnson admitted in September that Biden is not prioritising a trade deal with the UK.
Yet, Mordaunt praised the two countries’ “shared cultural DNA” and insisted a trade deal would create wealth, open trade systems and protect property rights.
“The most critical partner for us is the US. For the US to wait to seize this opportunity would be to all our detriment, but also to its own,” she said.
She added: “You need to increase opportunities for business and attract investment. Want the prospect of a best in class deal on agriculture? Think you will get that from the EU?”
Mordaunt then went ahead to advertise Brexit as the thing that allowed the UK to “plug” itself “back into the global economy”.
“That is our choice. Now America has a choice to make. How will you respond?,” she asked.
It comes as Keir Starmer warned yesterday that the UK is “not going back” to rejoining the EU.
The Labour leader reiterated he wants to “make Brexit work” – and although he claimed he wants a “clear plan”, he did not say what this may involve.
During a call with BBC Radio Newcastle, he said: “We have exited the EU and we are not going back, and let me be very clear in the North East about that, there’s no case for rejoining.
“What I want to see now is not just Brexit done in the sense that we are technically out of the EU. I want to make it work.
“I want to make sure that we take advantage of the opportunities and that we have a clear plan for Brexit. So that’s what I’m working on.”
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