A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official working within the Office of International Trade in the United States has issued a stunning rebuke to U.S. President Barack Obama and his trade official Michael Froman by insisting that the United Kingdom is not too small to have free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.

In recent weeks and months, President Obama and his staff have issued statements urging Britain to stay in the European Union (EU) insisting that they will only form a free trade agreement with a large bloc like the European Union.

But Breitbart London can reveal exclusively an e-mail from the body that implements America’s free trade deals with the world: the Office of International Trade, which states:

“This is the first time I’ve heard of the assertion that the UK is too small to have an FTA with the US… clearly the UK is not too small to have an FTA with the US if we have one with Oman.”

The official stressed: “Do be advised that FTAs are negotiated by the Executive Branch of the U.S., specifically by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) at the behest of the President”.

The e-mail therefore reveals that while Britain is not too small to have a free trade agreement with the United States, the policy of failing to want to implement one if Britain were to leave the European Union may be more of an ideological point impressed by President Obama.

Today Mr. Obama came under pressure from British journalists who asked whether or not a trade deal with the UK could happen. Mr. Obama softened his position, stating that Britain would be at the “back of the queue” as regards trade deals.

In October last year Mr. Froman said: “I think it’s absolutely clear that Britain has a greater voice at the trade table being part of the EU, being part of a larger economic entity… We’re not particularly in the market for FTAs with individual countries. We’re building platforms … that other countries can join over time.”

It was later revealed that Mr. Froman had himself worked for the European Commission.