US elections have not been short of controversy this year. Whilst Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have taken a clear lead with 274 Electoral College votes in their favour (271 needed to win) against 214 achieved by Trump. It is clear that President Trump backed by the Republic party are unwilling to concede without a legal fight.
World leaders have already expressed their congratulations to the Biden-Harris duo, including the British Prime Minister.
But how does this result impact current negotiations on the US-UK Trade deal? It is likely we may see delays in making progress as its claimed in the media that Biden will not prioritise US-UK trade talks during his first 100 days.
However, it is not only a matter of 'giving a priority'. Recent EU-UK Trade talks stalled on many critical issues such as fishing, Brussels’ demand for a level-playing field on standards to prevent the UK undercutting continental competitors and the possibility that the UK may breach international law around the Northern Ireland Protocol through its Internal Market Bill. However, today (10th Nov) it is on BBC news that the UK Government suffered a heavy House of Lords defeat.
Even before this election, it has been clear Biden wished for a different outcome when it came to the UK exiting the EU. In recent reports by the media, it was said that Biden will not allow peace in the Irish Island to be jeopardised by UK's intent to breach the law.
So, we continue to watch for future developments. It is fair to say that under current events, political, economic and health, we will see delays. It is also clear that whilst the UK and EU continue to work towards reaching a trade deal before the end of this transition period, we may not see it happening before then.
