Trump says US is ready to do post-Brexit trade deal
– US President Donald Trump has said he believes Britain can have a “very very substantial trade deal” with the US after it leaves the EU.
– Trump claimed talks were already happening, after his ambassador made clear the US would expect to be allowed business access to the NHS as part of any deal.
– When Trump was asked today if the NHS would be included in post-Brexit trade talks, Mr Trump said “everything is on the table“.
– The White House tweeted a link to a statement, in which Washington said Trump wanted to strengthen economic ties with the UK through an ambitious new trade agreement.
– The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has reiterated the White House’s stance on a US-UK trade deal, saying he regards it as a priority – but declined to say whether Washington will look to do a deal with the EU or the UK first.
Brexit uncertainty knocks 13% off foreign investment projects to UK
– The number of new foreign direct investment projects in the UK fell 13 per cent last year as uncertainty over Brexit deterred investors, according to EY, the professional services company that tracks the annual figures.
– The UK remained the top destination in Europe in 2018, with 1,054 new projects, EY’s 2019 UK Attractiveness Report said. However, this was a drop from 1,205 in 2017 and France and Germany narrowed the gap with the UK.
– In an accompanying survey to the data, 15 per cent of global investors said they had paused a project in the UK because of Brexit (up from 8 per cent last year).