By David Lawder and David Milliken
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – British finance minister Rachel Reeves told Reuters on Friday that the U.S.-Britain relationship will remain strong no matter whether Republican former President Donald Trump or Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris wins the Nov. 5 U.S. election.
“It’s up to the American people to decide who to have as president, and we will work with whoever the U.S. people return,” Reeves said in an interview on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Washington.
She said that the UK government has worked with Trump in the past and has worked closely with Harris as part of the Biden administration over the past few years.
“So, we’re confident that that strong relationship between our two countries will continue whoever is voted in in a week and a half’s time,” Reeves said.
Asked about the mood surrounding the U.S. election at the IMF and World Bank meetings during her first visit as Britain’s finance minister, she said that officials were focused on policies to relieve cost-of-living pressures for people.
Reeves said that while the global economy has been resilient and had achieved a “soft landing” with lower inflation and continued economic growth, there was a “recognition that for a lot of people, the cost-of-living crisis, even though inflation has come down, is still very real with higher prices – whether that’s for energy or food prices – locked in.”
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Paul Simao)
