UK finance minister expects 'very constructive dialogue' with Trump: BBC

LONDON (Reuters) - Finance minister Philip Hammond said on Thursday he was certain that Britain would have a constructive relationship with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump's administration. Trump, a wealthy New York real estate developer and former reality TV host, rode a wave of anger toward Washington insiders to win a shock victory at Tuesday's U.S. election. "I'm sure we will have a very constructive dialogue ... with the new American administration," Hammond told the BBC. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to revive the U.S. economy by cutting taxes, preventing companies from making products overseas, renegotiating trade accords and imposing tariffs on imports from countries like China. Asked about warnings from the World Trade Organization that major economies, like the United States, were becoming increasingly protectionist, Hammond said Britain was committed to free trade and open markets. "It's about getting the right balance in the global trading system, so that we can have the benefits of open markets while being properly and appropriately protected from unfair practices," he said. (Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper)