US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the UK’s trade deal with the US was a Brexit “dividend”, describing it as “extraordinary”.
Speaking at an event to mark GB News’ expansion into the United States of America, Mr Lutnick also told of how Donald Trump was greatly looking forward to his forthcoming visit to Great Britain.
Addressing attendees at Ned's Club in Washington, during an event hosted by GB News presenter Bev Turner, Mr Lutnick said: “I get the honour of speaking because I drove the first trade deal with our great friend and partner, the United Kingdom.
"They were first. If you know Donald Trump, you know if you are first you get the best deal. And I told the trade team, I said, this is finally your Brexit dividend, finally, because Europe is paying 15 per cent and the United Kingdom is paying 10 per cent. And that is something extraordinary."
GB News launches in America! People's Channel celebrates major expansion in US
Mr Lutnick also praised GB News' expansion into the United States of America, and said The People's Channel’s bold and fearless journalism was welcomed in the US.
He said: "You can't allow the narrative to be controlled by people who don't think truthfully and honestly, and we've lived that through President Trump's first term, while they attacked him. We lived that under the Biden administration, and we're having none of it anymore.
“I think it's fantastic that you guys are standing up to it and fighting it and controlling that narrative.
“You are a spectacular country, and they're going to try to run it down, and don't let them do it. So I'm honoured to be here. I think your trade deal is going to be great.
'You are a spectacular country, and they're going to try to run it down, and don't let them do it,' Howard Lutnick said
|PA
"Your relationship with Donald Trump is fantastic, and he looks forward to coming to visit you, and I wish you great, great success as the number one news channel in the United Kingdom.”
Mr Lutnick was speaking ahead of the launch of the Late Show Live on GB News.
Broadcasting from a studio close to the White House, the new programme will air for the first time later this month and will bring British audiences closer than ever to the political news which unfolds each day in America.
It will feature headline-making exclusives, thought-provoking interviews with major figures, and in-depth analysis of the Donald Trump presidency as well as stories from across the US.
It will add 14 hours of fresh live coverage to GB News every week, and underscores the channel's growing commitment to live news at a time many rivals are planning on scaling back their coverage to mass reach audiences.
The Late Show Live will be presented by Bev Turner on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with Ben Leo taking over on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
From a studio close to the White House, the People’s Channel will broadcast a brand new live nightly show
| GB NEWSBev said: “With the gutsiest guests and the most iconic backdrops, I intend to keep viewers up late.
"Fronting the next stage of GB News's evolution is both a huge honour and an immense responsibility, and I cannot wait to represent the People's Channel on a global stage.
“After three years at GB News, I hope the viewers trust me to show them what life is really like in the epicentre of 'MAGA-land' as history unfolds before our eyes.
“We will be disrupting the late-night TV space as the next day's papers land in the UK and America's prime-time analysis gears up. This affords us the chance to deliver a unique UK-USA hybrid of political, cultural and social issues from the start-line of global politics.
“We will fulfil the need for a British voice with an international perspective to help our viewers get a sense of who’s really on their side.
“Tapping into Washington’s heartbeat and delivering real-time perspective with editorial edge, the show will be alive, and a conversation that’s punchy, intelligent and unmissable. What happens in DC, reverberates in GB and we will capture every moment.
Bev Turner said: 'What happens in DC, reverberates in GB and we will capture every moment'
| GB NEWS“Our highly engaged British audience understands how events in the US are directly impacting government policy and living standards here. We have a job to do: bridging the gap between British and American politics in the fearless style that typifies GB News.
“We will include the very best guests that Washington has to offer, alongside quintessentially British voices in an unparalleled assessment of events on both sides of the Atlantic. This isn’t just a media experiment. This is a market intervention. And I look forward to leading it from the front.”
Ben said: “It’s been my dream to work in America since I was a little boy.
"I’m so excited to be fulfilling that now with GB News - especially under one of the most explosive and revolutionary administrations in US history.
“I’m excited to be at the heart of it as things unfold and analyse how it immediately affects what happens back home.”