Britain will be in the "front seat" to negotiate a
new trade deal with the incoming Trump
administration, a top Republican in the US
Senate has said.
A US-UK trade deal would be a priority, Senate
Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob
Corker said after meeting Foreign Secretary Boris
Johnson.
Barack Obama warned in April that the UK would
be at the back of the queue for trade deals if
voters chose Brexit.
Mr Johnson has been meeting with top
Republicans on Capitol Hill.
"We hear we are first in line to do a great free
trade deal with the United States. So, it's going
to be a very exciting year for both our countries,"
he said.
Those meeting with the foreign secretary included
House speaker Paul Ryan and Senate majority
leader Mitch McConnell. He travelled to
Washington after meeting with Mr Trump's senior
advisers in New York.
A Foreign Office source told the BBC the talks in
Washington saw "seriously positive" discussions
on the prospects for a future US-UK trade deal.
Mr Corker said Mr Johnson knows "full well" that
"there is no way the United Kingdom is going to
take a back seat".
"They will take a front seat and I think it will be
our priority to make sure that we deal with them
on a trade agreement initially but in all respects
in a way that demonstrates the long-term
friendship that we've had for so long," he said.
The senator, who had been a leading candidate
for secretary of state, said he was sure Mr Trump
would agree with him.
Mr Johnson will not meet Mr Trump's choice for
top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, while in Washington.
Protocol dictates that cannot happen until the
businessman is confirmed as secretary of state.
Earlier, in New York, the foreign secretary met
with Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who
will serve as a senior adviser in the White House,
and his chief strategist, Steve Bannon.
Officials said they discussed US foreign policy
towards Syria, Russia and China in "positive but
frank talks" held hours after Mr Trump tweeted
he was "very much" looking forward to meeting
Prime Minister Theresa May in the spring.
On Sunday, Mrs May had denounced the
president-elect's previous comments about
women as "unacceptable".
But she also said the relationship between the
two countries is about "something much bigger"
than the relationship between the leaders of their
governments.
