John Howard is dismayed that the next US president may not back the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Speaking at an awards dinner at the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe’s awards dinner in London, the former prime minister praised the success of globalisation, but warned that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton could change world trade.

“It distresses me immensely that both the candidates in the United States appear to have turned their backs on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, something that would involve the economies of 60 per cent of the world,” Mr Howard said.

He said the US had shown the path to successful trade expansion and trade growth.

“We should never lose sight of what globalisation and competitive capitalism has done for the poor of the world,” he said.

In February, Mr Howard said he understood why voters were attracted to Donald Trump, though the thought of him becoming president made him tremble.

Trump is “doing well because he's saying things that a lot of people think should be said but the current political class aren't willing to say”, Mr Howard told Sky News.

“In part, his success is emblematic of people's frustration with political correctness,” Mr Howard said at the time.

“What people like is he seems to call it as it is.”

The former prime minister again criticised political correctness, launching a defence of cartoonist Bill Leak.

Mr Leak was slammed for a cartoon he drew for News Corp papers depicting an Aboriginal father being confronted by a police officer about taking responsibility for his son.

“It was a brilliant perspective cartoon that made the point,” he said.

The Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe described Mr Howard as the greatest living conservative.