Trump pledges to keep UK trade arrangements after Brexit - May's office

LONDON - President Donald Trump promised to ensure that the trade arrangements Britain has with the U.S. through its European Union membership will remain in place when the country leaves the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Saturday. May's office said the two leaders discussed ways to prepare for a deal after Britain leaves the EU over lunch on Friday in Washington, including setting up a trade negotiation agreement that will involve high-level talks to scope out what can be done before Brexit. "President Trump pledged to ensure that the trade arrangements that the UK currently has with the U.S. through its membership of the EU will continue in place at the moment the United Kingdom leaves," May's team said in a statement. May said: "I'm pleased to have agreed a shared ambition with President Trump for a Trade Negotiation Agreement that will benefit both our countries even before Britain has left the EU." "It's a step forward that underlines our commitment to use the opportunities of Brexit to build a truly global Britain, increase free and fair trade, and improve the special relationship between our two great countries," she said in a statement. -Reuters