LONDON, Sept 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - White House Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Britain on Friday that despite Brexit it was choosing "Brussels over America", in an interview with The Financial Times.

Greer said this posed "a problem" to Britain's goal of expanding a trade deal struck with President Donald Trump's administration last year.

Greer's comments come as the new British prime minister, Andy Burnham, is eager to build on his predecessor Keir Starmer's efforts to forge closer post-Brexit cooperation with the European Union.

Asked if the UK was using the "freedom" afforded by Britain's departure from the European Union at the start of the decade, Greer told The FT: "No, they're not."

"Based on my conversations with the UK, where I say, 'Hey, you're free of the EU. Why don't you liberalise a little bit, accept goods made to American standards, accept agricultural goods made to American standards?'."

"They say, 'Well, we have to wait and see what the EU says about it'. You know that is a problem for us and that's challenging."

During a visit to London this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris and London "remain open to discussing everything, including advancing the UK reset with the European Union".

A crucial summit between the EU and Britain is expected before the end of the year.

Burnham told journalists Wednesday that since Brexit, "people here are fed up with the [lack of] vision, people see that we need to work closer together".

Burnham meanwhile told parliament this week that Brexit had contributed to sluggish UK economic growth.

Trump and Starmer announced a trade deal in May 2025 that saw Washington lower tariffs on British luxury cars and on steel and aluminium, after the US president unleashed a barrage of tariffs on countries around the world.

The British government insisted that the deal to allow in more US agricultural products, including ethanol and US beef, would not dilute British food standards, amid concerns over chlorinated US chicken and hormones in its beef.

Britain has also reached a deal to avoid US tariffs on medicines by agreeing to pay higher prices for certain drugs.