Trump will want a good deal with UK, says minister

President-elect Donald Trump volition privation to bash a bully woody with the UK, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones has insisted.

Jones, the chancellor's second-in-command, said helium was assured UK-US trading relationships could beryllium deepened and that Peter Mandelson volition beryllium "brilliant" arsenic the caller UK ambassador to the US.

However, Reform UK person Nigel Farage has claimed Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer is successful a "weak" negotiating presumption owed to his privation to fortify ties with the EU astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic with the US.

The PM has insisted helium tin walk a tightrope and equilibrium beardown trading and information relationships connected some sides, contempt Trump's dislike of the EU.

But immoderate nervousness seems apparent, with Lord Mandelson, launching a charm offensive up of Trump's inauguration connected Monday, lauding his "straight talking and deal-making instincts" and talking up a caller "Atlantic alliance".

Jones said the authorities was optimistic astir the chances of a bully narration with the incoming administration, highlighting "opportunities for america to seize" astir a imaginable post-Brexit commercialized deal, which helium suggested could see technology.

"Donald Trump is well-known for wanting to bash a bully woody - I deliberation determination are plentifulness of bully deals for america to bash together," helium said.

"There are decidedly opportunities to deepen our trading relationships, not slightest successful technology, subject and research... and I deliberation that's thing that could beryllium a affirmative outcome."

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Treasury curate suggested the UK could dodge Trump's pledge for a 20% taxation connected each imports into the US owed to not being successful a "trade deficit", adding ministers person "prepared for each scenarios".

Jones besides expressed assurance Lord Mandelson volition "form a precise beardown concern with the caller administration", contempt immoderate reports that the incoming president whitethorn cull him - and a apical Trump advisor dismissing him arsenic an "absolute moron".

The assignment of Lord Mandelson, who is best-known arsenic a New Labour rotation doc and curate nether Tony Blair, is the archetypal clip successful 50 years that a PM has selected a person alternatively than a diplomat for the role, which Jones said was "because we privation to bash things differently".

Asked astir the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, informing of "resurgent fascism" up of Trump's inauguration, Jones powerfully disagreed, insisting the UK authorities respected Trump's antiauthoritarian mandate, adding: "I talk connected behalf of the authorities and we don't hold with it".

A overmuch little rosy presumption of the "special relationship" was painted by Farage, a long-time protagonist of Trump, whose connection of acting arsenic a go-between successful negotiations with the president-elect has truthful acold been rejected by the government.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour, the Reform UK person said the authorities needs to "think extracurricular the box" erstwhile dealing with the Trump administration, and that each grounds - including Lord Mandelson's assignment - suggests they are not doing that.

"I deliberation what this authorities does, is what each governments bash - they instrumentality with the established, presumption quo methods of appointing people," helium said.

Farage said helium feared the UK would squander "an astonishing opportunity" to get distant from tariffs and negociate escaped commercialized deals owed to the premier minister's refusal to take the US implicit the EU.

"This feline [Trump] does concern otherwise to anybody other we've seen successful planetary authorities before," helium said. "They don't deliberation they request maine - but they mightiness find successful abbreviated bid that possibly they do.

"If we person a deteriorating narration with America that does wounded america financially, it'll beryllium the Labour government's fault," adding that Trump is "probably much Eurosceptic" than helium is.

The information the UK inactive does not person a escaped commercialized woody with the US, contempt this being a precedence successful the Conservative 2019 manifesto, has been criticised by the party's existent person Kemi Badenoch, who said leaving the EU without a maturation program was "a mistake".

Conservative shadiness overseas caput Priti Patel, a salient dependable successful the Vote Leave Brexit campaign, was questioned astir Badenoch's comments by Kuenssberg aft she urged swift enactment to hold a UK-US commercialized deal.

Patel said determination were plans to legislate to commencement the Brexit process but acknowledged a deficiency of plans astir however to rebuild relationships.

She said: "In presumption of semipermanent sustainable proposals Kemi's close to recognise that intelligibly wider plans needed to beryllium enactment successful place."

Responding to Patel, the Liberal Democrat overseas affairs spokesperson Calum Miller claimed the Conservatives were present competing with Reform UK to beryllium "the astir submissive with Trump" - but the UK should not enactment "blind faith" successful the caller administration.

He said: "[Priti Patel's] tendency to unreserved into a escaped commercialized woody betwixt the UK and US - 1 that could merchantability British farmers and nutrient standards down the stream - reminds america of wherever her and her party's existent alliances lie: with the Mar-a-Lago clan, not with constituents present successful Britain."