U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer told the Financial Times on Friday that Britain has chosen "Brussels over America," expressing regret that the country has not used its exit from the European Union to strengthen commercial ties with the United States. Greer said he had told British officials: "You are free from the European Union. Why don't you free yourselves a bit and accept goods and agricultural products that meet American standards?"
According to Greer, British officials responded by saying they must wait to see what the European Union says on the matter. "As you know, this is a problem for us, and it is difficult," Greer said.
The comments come after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham reiterated his call to strengthen ties between Britain and the European Union during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to London on Thursday. A decisive summit between the EU and Britain is scheduled before the end of the year to advance this rapprochement, more than six years after Britain left the bloc.
Burnham's predecessor Keir Starmer signed a "new strategic partnership" with Brussels in 2025 that provides for dynamic and rapid alignment of British regulations with European health systems. Britain was the first country to sign a trade agreement with the United States when Donald Trump's trade war began in 2025, capping most American tariffs on British goods at 10 percent.
In return, London agreed to open its market wider to American ethanol and beef. Britain also reached an agreement to avoid American tariffs on medicines by agreeing to purchase some treatments at higher prices.
