Boris Johnson rejects trips to US, Australia for big trade deals to focus on local issues at home
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly refused to visit US President Donald Trump in America. And it seems that a planned trip Down Under has also been put on the backburner.
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to snub US President Donald Trump by scrapping a visit to America - and he’s also cancelling a planned trip to Australia, according to reports.
President Trump is understood to be very keen to finalise a trade deal with Britain in a high-profile White House event similar to that laid on for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and wife Jenny last year.
The President wants to sign a new agreement in front of the world’s TV cameras in the lead-up to the November election here in the US as another sign of his ability to get deals down to benefit America.
But sources in the UK say that Mr Johnson has decided to keep his focus very much on his own backyard, concentrating on the domestic issues he campaigned on so successfully.
“Levelling up the country, making the streets safe and sorting out the National Health Service is why the PM won the election. That is why he has stripped down all his foreign travel this year to get his agenda done,” a senior government source told The Sun.
Speculation that Mr Johnson will also give Australia a wide berth will be disappointing for Mr Morrison, who would have hoped a visit from the maverick British PM would send a signal that Canberra was on the right track when it comes to international trade.
News Corp Australia revealed this month that Mr Johnson and Mr Morrison have been keeping in close contact via a series of private text messages.
He told News Corp that Australia was at the front of the queue for Britain to sign a new trade deal following Brexit.
“It’s hugely important and I think in fact Prime Minister ScoMo texted me on Friday to say how eager he was and we’re very excited,” Mr Johnson said.
With Brexit finalised, the US and the UK are preparing to start negotiations on a new transatlantic trade deal.
Mr Johnson was originally supposed to go to the US in January, but he has repeatedly delayed the trip.
The next time Mr Johnson will see Mr Trump will be in June when he is due to attend a G7 leaders summit in the States.
It was reported in the US that Mr Trump “tore into” Mr Johnson in a phone this month after Britain announced it would allow Huawei into its 5G networks, rejecting longstanding US concerns about the Chinese tech giant.
In return, the UK was unimpressed over America’s refusal to extradite the alleged killer of teen biker Harry Dunn.
Mr Johnson’s refusal to travel has alarmed some of his staff, according to The Sun.
The PM sent Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to Japan to discuss a trade deal instead of going himself.
Another No10 source said: “There is a lot of concern about this in the house.
“If we don’t do any trade tours this year, it’s going to effect the entire Brexit process. The PM is our best asset”.