Donald Trump’s nominees to run the treasury and commerce departments vowed on Wednesday to negotiate only bilateral trade deals, a potential boon for post-Brexit Britain.

Steven Mnuchin, the former Goldman Sachs banker and Hollywood financier, and Wilbur Ross, the billionaire investor, confirmed on Wednesday that they had joined Mr Trump’s cabinet-in-waiting.

Mr Mnuchin, the incoming treasury secretary, said the Trump administration would “absolutely” reverse President Barack Obama’s policy of working regionally to negotiate trade pacts.

"We believe in bilateral negotiations,” he told CNBC. “We'll have very good deals with lots of countries.”