The top US trade official branded the World Trade Organization “a mess” that has “failed America and failed the international trading system” during testimony before Congress on Wednesday.

In a prepared statement for a hearing before the House ways and means committee, Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative, said the US would push for a “broader reset” of tariffs set by the WTO over the coming year, signalling continued pressure on the Geneva-based body as it scrambles to find a new leader.

Mr Lighthizer has so far remained circumspect about his views on who should take over as the new director-general of the WTO after former Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevêdo announced last month he would step down a year early, even as the organisation grapples with global trade tensions and a coronavirus-related collapse in global commerce.