Boris Johnson delays trip to see Donald Trump

The prime minister had been expected to visit the White House in January.

LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to delay a planned visit to see U.S. President Donald Trump until June.

A Downing Street official said the visit would likely coincide with the G7 summit, which will be held at the president’s Camp David retreat.

Johnson had been expected to visit the White House in January as part of a high-profile visit to kick off talks on a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S., but the trip has been repeatedly delayed. “We expect the prime minister to travel to the U.S. in June around the G7 summit,” the official said.

The relationship between the pair of leaders is thought to have suffered a setback after Johnson defied Trump by allowing Chinese tech firm Huawei to build parts of the British 5G network. The latest delay — and effective downgrading of the trip — will fuel speculation that the long-promised trade deal might end up on the backburner.

A spokesman for Johnson said: “The prime minister looks forward to visiting the U.S. and will remain in touch with the administration on this. We confirm trips as and when we can.”