The Liberal Democrats have accused Boris Johnson of “yet another broken Conservative manifesto promise,” after the Prime Minister admitted that a trade deal with the United States is unlikely to be concluded anytime soon.
Boris Johnson yesterday told reporters that “I wouldn’t hold your breath” on the prospects of a UK-US trade deal, adding that Joe Biden “has a lot of fish to fry.”
The Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto stated that the party would have 80 per cent of UK trade “covered by free trade agreements within the next three years, starting with the USA.”
Liberal Democrat Trade Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP commented: “For years we were told one of the biggest prizes of Brexit would be a trade deal with the United States.
“Yet Boris Johnson has effectively admitted the UK is at the back of the queue, despite claiming this would be his flagship trade deal. This has to be his most embarrassing failure yet.
“It will be yet another broken Conservative manifesto promise unless the government can clinch a trade deal with the US by next year.
“Whether it’s raising taxes on working families and small businesses or failing to secure trade deals, the Conservatives’ broken promises are hitting us all in the pocket. It’s little wonder that moderate Conservative voters across the Blue Wall are turning to the Liberal Democrats instead.”