Starmer and Trump hail ‘historic day’ as UK and US agree trade deal

The conclusion of a US-UK trade agreement is a “fantastic, historic day”, Sir Keir Starmer has said as he and Donald Trump formally announced the deal.
Speaking to Sir Keir from the White House, the US President said the agreement was a “great deal for both countries”.
Mr Trump said the “final details” of the agreement were still being “written up”, adding: “The actual deal is a very conclusive one we think, just about everything has been approved.”
Tariffs
The Government has been pursuing a deal with the US to reduce the impact of sweeping tariffs imposed by Mr Trump last month, which placed a 10% levy on all UK exports and a 25% charge on steel, aluminium and cars.
Previous governments have also attempted to secure a free trade agreement with the US, but with no success.
Mr Trump said: “The US and UK have been working for years to try and make a deal and it never quite got there.
“It did with this Prime Minister, so I want to just congratulate you.”
Sir Keir said: “With this President and this Prime Minister we’ve managed to achieve what many people tried to achieve for many years, and I’m really pleased.”
The US president had previously described the deal as “full and comprehensive”, but Thursday’s announcement focused on a narrower set of industries.
Under the deal, American tariffs on British cars fall to 10% for the first 100,000 vehicles exported to the US, while tariffs on steel are scrapped.
Jobs
Steel union Community’s assistant general secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said the deal would protect jobs in the industry.
He said: “The UK Government deserves enormous credit for negotiating this deal to reduce US tariffs which would have had a hugely damaging impact on our steel sector.”
In exchange, the UK has reduced tariffs on US products including beef and ethanol, which US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said would create 5 billion dollars in “opportunity for American exports”.
The agreement on beef provides a tariff-free quota for 13,000 tonnes of US exports, but the UK Government said this would involve no reduction in food standards.
Mr Lutnick added that British-made Rolls Royce engines would be excluded from tariffs, with a UK airline agreeing to buy “10 billion worth of Boeing planes later today”.
Mr Trump said the UK would also be brought into “economic security alignment” with the US as a result of the deal.
Number 10 said work would continue on pharmaceuticals and remaining tariffs, but the US had promised to give the UK preferential treatment if any further tariffs were imposed.
Lord Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador in Washington, said the deal was “not the end, it’s just the end of the beginning”.
Trade barriers
Speaking in the Oval Office, he said: “There is yet more we can do in reducing tariffs and trade barriers so as to open up our markets to each other, even more than we are agreeing to do today.”
Previous speculation had suggested the UK would revise the digital services tax as part of a deal, with the levy mainly applying to US tech companies.
But Number 10 said on Thursday the tax would remain unchanged, with the two countries agreeing to work on a separate digital trade deal that would reduce paperwork for British firms exporting to the US.
Ministers are expected to update MPs on the talks with the US with a statement in the Commons later.
The deal with the UK is the first agreement since Mr Trump announced the “liberation day” tariffs on countries around the world.
‘Shafted’
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the deal, saying Britain had been “shafted”.
She said: “When Labour negotiates, Britain loses. We cut our tariffs – America tripled theirs.”
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats demanded a vote on the deal in Parliament, saying it would show “complete disrespect to the public” if MPs were denied a say.
Sir Ed Davey said: “When it comes to any trade deal – and especially one with someone as unreliable as Donald Trump – the devil will be in the detail.
“One thing is clear, Trump’s trade tariffs are still hitting key British industries, threatening the livelihoods of people across the UK.”
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O fear the outcome. Trade deals take many years to nail down. And Trump is our enemy, so a deal with him is not going to be positive for uk voters. Just the usual capitalist overlords
Before anyone cheers at the so-called US -UK trade deal, see that American beef produce is part of the deal what will no doubt undercut Welsh & British farmers. I know US beef is packed with hormones, but how will this produce be regulated if food manufacturers in Britain use American beef that’s exported to the EU seeing American has less stringent animal rights, rules and regulations. I know a country can use a food type from a country and because it’s processed can call it their own. After all, Yorkshire tea is apparently English even though only blended not… Read more »
Just make sure that whenever you visit your butcher that you specify Welsh or UK or EU beef. Stuff from USA or OZ is for ingredients into pet foods.at best.
It’s nothing to worry about: Starmer’s determined to get rid of UK farmers anyway.
Because they voted for their own decline.
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/farmer-support-brexit-strong-ever-fw-poll-reveals
Some interesting comments from Donny that the US is looking to improve their own food standards rather than forcing their low quality produce on the UK. Their recent move to ban artificial colours in food was a surprise.
Private health care costs may eventually concentrate the mind on healthy living or is that for the next set of bipeds coming along…
I think this announcement was being done today more for Trump’s benefit than for anyone else’s. No one else is dealing with him and this “deal” is not even finalised according to him.
It seems DT reckons this happened because of Brexit: that’ll be a bitter pill to swallow for some on here.
If this deal doesn’t affect our trading relationship with the EU then there’s nothing in it that couldn’t be in a deal with the EU meaning the UK could’ve negotiated the same on behalf of the EU which would’ve been better for everyone.
According to US news channels thus trade deal is small beans to them.
Result of brexit from what i can gather. We are a small nation sniffing for scraps. Pity we are not in the EU. Cheers farage.
Its a sad day that on the 80th Anniversary of VE Day that Starmer signs a deal with a fascist. What an insult to the thousands who died fighting fascism.
Modi, Twmp ,Air Strikes, Cold Weather Terrorism, Indifference to Genocide…
The man for the tough jobs…
Realpolitik Clark of the Cinque Ports style…