The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has pledged to put the UK “at the front of the line” in future trade talks, during a talk in London this morning.

Speaking at a Policy Exchange event, Pompeo said he wanted to be in the UK on the date that the UK leaves the EU as a mark of solidarity over Brexit, but counterpart Dominic Raab noted tomorrow would be “hectic”.

In contrast to former President Barack Obama’s warnings that Brexit would result in the UK going to the back of the queue, Pompeo said: “We intend to put the UK at the front of the line. This is a historic relationship”

Pompeo added that there was a “tremendous value” to the US from the relationship with the UK, saying there was “huge opportunity for us to do really great creative business”.

He said a “gold standard” could be set through the future trade deal.

Pompeo said it was likely that “friction” would exist between the United Kingdom and the EU, just as there would be with the US, but that he expected the UK to remain a “close partner of both United States and EU”. He stressed the future trading agreements would not be “exclusive” either way, noting that it did not get in the way of existing relationships with other countries such as Japan.

“The special relationship means that… we are deeply aware of the shared values of our people,” Pompeo said, noting that beyond borders all other “boundaries” between the UK and US would be lowered.

But in reference to China following Downing Street’s decision to back Huawei’s involvement in 5G, Pompeo urged the UK to work alongside Washington to “make sure the west is governed by Western democratic principles”.

It was essential that “freedom, democracy and the rule of law… remains the dominant model for the next century”.

On the Huawei decision itself, Pompeo acknowledged that the UK had “come up with a model they think provides the adequate protection for its people citizens”, and said the US would work with partners to develop “a sound set of alternatives” longer-term.

He added: “This isn’t about any one company, it’s about a model that the Chinese Communist Party has where they place requirements on these businesses that say ‘thou shalt do’… we think that it’s not about a technical back door – they have the front door.”

Asked about the future of the Five Eyes relationship, Pompeo said: “That relationship is deep, it is strong, it will remain.

“With respect to American information… we will never permit American national security information to travel across a network we don’t have confidence in.

“We will work with our UK counterparts to ensure systems are sufficiently secure… and we have only a level of risk that we find tolerable.”

Main image: Getty