<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold talks on post-Brexit trade with the top US diplomat on Thursday, eve of Britain's historic departure from the European Union.</p>.<p>The British premier will aim to paper over recent disagreements as he hosts US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the day before nearly half a century of EU membership ends late Friday.</p>.<p>With Britain at a historic crossroads, Johnson wants to strike post-Brexit trade deals with both the bloc and the US, but has seen recent strains in the so-called "special relationship" with Washington.</p>.<p>Britain will enter a new chapter when it becomes the first country to quit the EU's institutions at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday.</p>.<p>Although it will remain under most EU rules during an 11-month transition period, Britain is then likely to lose privileged access to the single European market -- the world's largest and most important for UK trade.</p>.<p>But Johnson has argued he will negotiate an ambitious free trade agreement with his 27 former partners while also striking a lucrative trade deal with the US.</p>.<p>"It is a great moment for our country... a moment of hope and opportunity," the British leader said Wednesday, as he prepares to address the nation at 2200 GMT Friday -- an hour before Brexit.</p>.<p>Pompeo, in London on the first leg of a five-nation tour that also takes in Ukraine, sounded a positive note on arrival Wednesday.</p>.<p>"The #UK is an indispensable ally on a range of issues," he tweeted, adding the special relationship was being strengthened "through constructive discussions".</p>.<p>En route, he had told reporters Britain's decision to ignore months of US warnings and give China's Huawei tech giant a role in the rollout of its 5G network was "something we'll have a conversation about".</p>.<p>"We will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one," he added.</p>.<p>Pompeo will also speak at a conservative think tank alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.</p>.<p>He met his British counterpart on Wednesday evening, with several contentious issues on the agenda.</p>.<p>Britain has been angered by Washington's refusal to extradite the wife of a US diplomat who is using the cover of diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution over the death of a teenager in a road accident in England.</p>.<p>Meanwhile Johnson has defied expectations since taking power and failed to side with the US on everything from Huawei to the Iran nuclear deal that the US has abandoned.</p>.<p>President Donald Trump -- a long-time fan of Brexit and Johnson's ability to deliver it successfully -- has publicly urged Britain to rethink, yet has so far been restrained in his criticism.</p>.<p>But others, including Republican senators who will have to sign off on a future US-UK trade deal, have cautioned that sharing intelligence and striking an agreement could be imperilled by the Huawei decision in particular.</p>.<p>Johnson's hopes for a US trade deal are also complicated by Trump's unpopularity in Britain and domestic pressure to stand up to Washington.</p>.<p>Britons narrowly backed departing the EU in a 2016 referendum that left the country locked in political crisis and acrimonious division.</p>.<p>Johnson, who headed the pro-Leave campaign and became premier in July, won a thumping election victory in December on the mantra "get Brexit done".</p>.<p>That is now finally happening, with Britain's departure set in European law Wednesday, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers.</p>.<p>"We will always love you and we will never be far," said EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, adding: "Long live Europe."</p>.<p>Following the vote, MEPs burst into a chorus of "Auld Lang Syne", a traditional Scottish song of farewell.</p>.<p>Britain's eurosceptic lawmakers were in triumphant mood after two decades as a thorn in Brussels' side, brandishing British flags in contravention of the chamber's rules.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold talks on post-Brexit trade with the top US diplomat on Thursday, eve of Britain's historic departure from the European Union.</p>.<p>The British premier will aim to paper over recent disagreements as he hosts US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the day before nearly half a century of EU membership ends late Friday.</p>.<p>With Britain at a historic crossroads, Johnson wants to strike post-Brexit trade deals with both the bloc and the US, but has seen recent strains in the so-called "special relationship" with Washington.</p>.<p>Britain will enter a new chapter when it becomes the first country to quit the EU's institutions at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday.</p>.<p>Although it will remain under most EU rules during an 11-month transition period, Britain is then likely to lose privileged access to the single European market -- the world's largest and most important for UK trade.</p>.<p>But Johnson has argued he will negotiate an ambitious free trade agreement with his 27 former partners while also striking a lucrative trade deal with the US.</p>.<p>"It is a great moment for our country... a moment of hope and opportunity," the British leader said Wednesday, as he prepares to address the nation at 2200 GMT Friday -- an hour before Brexit.</p>.<p>Pompeo, in London on the first leg of a five-nation tour that also takes in Ukraine, sounded a positive note on arrival Wednesday.</p>.<p>"The #UK is an indispensable ally on a range of issues," he tweeted, adding the special relationship was being strengthened "through constructive discussions".</p>.<p>En route, he had told reporters Britain's decision to ignore months of US warnings and give China's Huawei tech giant a role in the rollout of its 5G network was "something we'll have a conversation about".</p>.<p>"We will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one," he added.</p>.<p>Pompeo will also speak at a conservative think tank alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.</p>.<p>He met his British counterpart on Wednesday evening, with several contentious issues on the agenda.</p>.<p>Britain has been angered by Washington's refusal to extradite the wife of a US diplomat who is using the cover of diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution over the death of a teenager in a road accident in England.</p>.<p>Meanwhile Johnson has defied expectations since taking power and failed to side with the US on everything from Huawei to the Iran nuclear deal that the US has abandoned.</p>.<p>President Donald Trump -- a long-time fan of Brexit and Johnson's ability to deliver it successfully -- has publicly urged Britain to rethink, yet has so far been restrained in his criticism.</p>.<p>But others, including Republican senators who will have to sign off on a future US-UK trade deal, have cautioned that sharing intelligence and striking an agreement could be imperilled by the Huawei decision in particular.</p>.<p>Johnson's hopes for a US trade deal are also complicated by Trump's unpopularity in Britain and domestic pressure to stand up to Washington.</p>.<p>Britons narrowly backed departing the EU in a 2016 referendum that left the country locked in political crisis and acrimonious division.</p>.<p>Johnson, who headed the pro-Leave campaign and became premier in July, won a thumping election victory in December on the mantra "get Brexit done".</p>.<p>That is now finally happening, with Britain's departure set in European law Wednesday, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers.</p>.<p>"We will always love you and we will never be far," said EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, adding: "Long live Europe."</p>.<p>Following the vote, MEPs burst into a chorus of "Auld Lang Syne", a traditional Scottish song of farewell.</p>.<p>Britain's eurosceptic lawmakers were in triumphant mood after two decades as a thorn in Brussels' side, brandishing British flags in contravention of the chamber's rules.</p>