Kemi Badenoch blames Donald Trump's 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden

Kemi Badenoch has blamed Donald Trump's 2020 electoral defeat for the Government's failure to secure a free-trade deal with the US – a key goal of the UK's post-Brexit plans.

The Business Secretary claimed President Joe Biden's White House moved away from such deals, instead preferring to strike 'smaller packages on single issues'. 

She said the change in administrations in Washington had been why the Government missed its manifesto pledge to strike trade deals by the end of 2022 with countries that account for 80 per cent of British trade. Mrs Badenoch told MPs on the Business and Trade Committee: 

'The biggest thing that had an impact on us reaching that objective was the change in administration from President Trump to President Biden. 

'We were carrying out negotiations for a US FTA [free trade agreement]. The administration changed and the Biden administration is not doing FTAs.' 

Her comments came on Tuesday just hours before Mr Trump pressured his closest rival for the Republican candidacy to drop out of the contest after beating her in New Hampshire, winning 54.5 per cent of the vote.