U.S. President Donald Trump promised a “phenomenal” post-Brexit trade deal with Britain as he met outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday to boost their frayed alliance against a backdrop of political turmoil.
As protesters angered by his state visit flew a huge balloon of a baby Trump in diapers and blocked traffic in central London, the U.S. leader heaped praise on Ms. May and scorn on Opposition Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn.
The U.S. President dismissed thousands of protesters rallying nearby as “fake news” and said he turned down a meeting with Mr. Corbyn — who himself took part in the protest — branding him a “somewhat negative force”.
“There is tremendous potential in that trade deal. I say probably two and even three times of what we’re doing right now,” he told a joint press conference with Prime Minister Theresa May.
Supporters of Brexit believe a new trade agreement with the United States is crucial to Britain’s success outside the EU.
Concern over NHS
But there are concerns among some British politicians that the much-loved state-run national health service would be opened up to U.S. private companies. “When you’re dealing on trade, everything is on the table. So NHS or anything else. A lot more than that,” Mr. Trump told reporters.
Ms. May is stepping down in the coming weeks over her failure to deliver Brexit on time, but she and her Health Minister have said the NHS is not for sale.
On Tuesday, she said Britain remained committed to “an ambitious free trade agreement” after Brexit. But she added: “The point about making trade deals is, of course, that both sides negotiate and come to an agreement about what should or should not be in that trade deal for the future.”
