Johnson too downplayed chances of securing an agreement with the United States before the next general election, saying: "The Americans do negotiate very hard."

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office before the talks, Biden said: "We're going to talk a little bit about trade today and we're going to have to work that through."

Biden will not prioritise a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom as he has “a lot of fish to fry”, Johnson was quoted as saying by UK media reports.

UK ministers, meanwhile, are mulling over joining an existing North American trade pact, BBC reported.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)