USTR Greer warns UK choosing alignment with the EU over America is an issue for a US trade deal, according to FT

Remarks of this kind from a sitting US trade representative follow a familiar pattern: the negotiating lever deployed publicly ahead of any formal track, with the substance less important than the fact that the friction is being aired at all. The structural issue named here is real and longstanding: regulatory alignment with the EU constrains the scope of any bilateral US-UK deal on goods, since divergence on standards, food and agriculture rules, and digital regulation is what a US deal typically demands. Episodes of this kind have tended to matter more for headline-sensitive sterling and for the political calendar than for any near-term change in trade flows, since US-UK talks have historically moved slowly and produced limited deliverables. The tells worth noting are whether the comments draw a formal UK response, whether they are repeated by other US officials, and whether any negotiating round or visit is imminent that would give them operational weight. As sourced commentary to a newspaper rather than a policy announcement, the signal is directional rather than actionable.