Trump invites Johnson to White House for new year visit
WASHINTON: US President Donald Trump has invited British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to visit him in the White House in the new year, British media reported yesterday.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported that Mr Trump's invitation was made after the British Conservative Party leader's recent election win.
Formal discussions on the exact timing of Mr Johnson's visit are yet to held, the newspaper reported, citing Downing Street sources.
"Some potential dates have been floated in mid-January but nothing has yet been formally agreed. But it is clear that both sides want to make it happen sometime in early 2020," the Times quoted a source close to the White House as saying.
Mr Johnson is reluctant to make the visit before delivering Brexit on Jan 31 and prefers to go after a Cabinet reshuffle scheduled in February in which he is expected to appoint Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove as his new trade negotiator, The Mail on Sunday reported.
Such an arrangement could let Mr Johnson take Mr Gove with him ahead of the talks of a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, according to the report.
The development comes as Mr Johnson won approval for his Brexit deal in the British Parliament on Friday, the first step towards fulfilling his election pledge to deliver Britain's departure from the European Union by Jan 31. - REUTERS
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