PM's hopes of post-Brexit trade deal with the US downplayed by President Biden

ITV News Politics Correspondent Romilly Weeks reports from Washington

Joe Biden has downplayed prospects of brokering a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK by instead warning Boris Johnson that peace in Northern Ireland must not be jeopardised over post-Brexit trade rules.

The US president said he feels “very strongly” about the issues surrounding the peace process, as problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol persisted.

Mr Biden also did not counter the assertion from his predecessor Barack Obama that Britain would be at the “back of the queue” for a post-Brexit free trade agreement.

Sitting next to Mr Johnson in the Oval Office, the US president told reporters: “We’re going to talk a little bit about trade today and we’re going to have to work that through.”

After meeting the president, Mr Johnson told reporters he's got "absolutely every confidence that a great deal is there to be done", but accepted the Biden administration "is not doing free trade deals around the world right now".

President Biden says he feels "very strongly" about issues surrounding the peace process in Northern Ireland

The prime minister’s first White House meeting with Mr Biden since he succeeded Donald Trump came as the government’s hopes for securing a comprehensive free trade deal with the US faded.

Ministers were understood to be instead considering whether to join an existing pact with the US, Mexico and Canada to boost trans-Atlantic trade in a major departure from their prior ambitions.

Earlier in the day, Mr Johnson was unable to commit to securing the deal – touted as a prize of Brexit by Leave supporters during the EU referendum – before the next election.

Environment Secretary George Eustice, asked if the UK was at the back of the queue for a US trade deal, said the government is "still very keen" on finding an agreement but a lack of one "isn't a surprise".

He went on: "President Biden has always been clear that trade deals weren't a priority for him early in his administration, we would rather get the right agreement at the right time rather than rush these things - but we still hope to get a bilateral agreement at some point."

On Northern Ireland, the senior minister accepted the US has a "legitimate view to express an opinion" because it was involved in the peace deal negotiations, "but it's the UK government that's really responsible for making sure that we make the Belfast agreement work... and that does require us to revisit some of the provisions of the Northern Ireland protocol".

Eustice: 'Trade is not a priority for Biden but we want an agreement at some point'

Vocally proud of his Irish heritage, Mr Biden said he feels “very strongly” about the issues surrounding the peace process.

He said: “And I would not at all like to see, nor I might add would many of my Republican colleagues like to see, a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland."

Mr Johnson said “that’s absolutely right”, adding: “On that point, Joe, we’re completely at one, nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.”

But in one possible boost to trans-Atlantic trade, Mr Biden said they are “going to be working on lamb” – with imports currently banned from Britain.

The US president said he was “anxious” to attend the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow “with bells on”, and said they would continue talks on how to co-operate on Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister first held talks with vice president Kamala Harris after arriving in Washington DC by train from New York, where he has been attending a UN summit.

Mr Johnson told reporters in Manhattan there were “plenty of reason to be optimistic” about getting the free trade agreement (FTA) with the US.

But the Vote Leave figurehead downplayed the prospects of brokering a trade deal by the next election, raising the possibility that he could leave Downing Street without achieving a key ambition for the post-Brexit era.

His concession came after suggesting trade negotiations are not a priority for the US president, who he accepted has “a lot of fish to fry”.

Asked if he would get the deal by 2024, the Prime Minister told Sky News: “We will keep going with free trade deals around the world including in the United States.

“I have plenty of reason to be optimistic about that. But the Americans do negotiate very hard.”