UK Prime Minister Predicts 'Tough Old Haggle' With US Over Trade Deal

Sumaira FH Published August 13, 2019 | 08:20 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted on Tuesday it would not be easy to bargain for a trade pact with the United States but said he was determined to see it and similar deals with EU nations through.

"In my experience Americans are very tough negotiators indeed ... It will be a tough old haggle but we will get there," he told Sky news.

Johnson argued that his country had many opportunities in the United States where they were still buying haggis. UK services companies in particular could do well across the Atlantic, he added.

The prime minister stressed that he wanted to see trade with both European neighbors and countries around the world.

"The single biggest deal that we need to do is a free trade agreement with our friends and partners over the Channel," he said.

The United Kingdom becoming a global trade player was a major selling point of the Leave campaign. The European Union was its largest trade partner in 2018, accounting for 46 percent of UK exports, although that share has fallen over time.