Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Starmer, Trump announce UK-US trade agreement

The deal, reached after several weeks of talks, lowers levies on UK car exports from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent and lifts tariffs on British steel and aluminium.

Starmer Trump

Starmer and Donald Trump have announced a new UK-US trade agreement cutting tariffs on key British exports.

Getty Images

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer and US president Donald Trump on Thursday announced a trade agreement that reduces tariffs on British exports, including cars and steel.

The deal, reached after several weeks of talks, lowers levies on UK car exports from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent and lifts tariffs on British steel and aluminium. The UK government said the move would save Jaguar Land Rover hundreds of millions of pounds a year, with the reduction applying to a quota of 100,000 cars — close to Britain’s total exports last year.


“This is a really fantastic, historic day,” Starmer said, appearing via video link with Trump during parallel press conferences in London and Washington. “It’s going to not only protect jobs, but create jobs, opening market access,” he said, adding a “tribute” to both negotiating teams.

Speaking at a Jaguar Land Rover factory in the Midlands, Starmer said, “That is a huge and important reduction.”

The agreement also includes reciprocal market access for beef, with UK farmers allowed a tariff-free quota of 13,000 metric tonnes. The UK government said British food standards remain unchanged and confirmed that chlorinated chicken will not be allowed into the country.

There will be no change to the UK’s digital services tax on US tech firms as part of the deal.

“This is just the start,” Starmer said. “We’re more ambitious for what the UK and the US can do together.” He said he learned of Trump’s approval for the deal during a phone call on Wednesday night while watching Arsenal’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.

Trump called the agreement a “breakthrough” and the first step in broader negotiations. “I’m thrilled to announce that we have reached a breakthrough trade deal with the United Kingdom,” he said. “The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture.”

Trump denied exaggerating the scope of the agreement, calling it a “maxed-out deal” in response to a question.

The UK will continue to face a 10 per cent baseline tariff on most goods under the reciprocal tariff policy introduced by Trump in April, though there are exemptions for certain products such as pharmaceuticals.

Downing Street said negotiators would continue talks to lift remaining tariffs and seek exemptions from future levies. The UK government added that Britain would receive “preferential treatment” in any future US tariff decisions.

A UK government official described the agreement as a “general terms document” covering key sectors and providing a framework for further negotiations, rather than a full free trade agreement. The official said more talks would follow, especially on tariffs affecting the pharmaceutical sector.

The trade deal was announced days after Britain signed a free-trade agreement with India, its largest such deal since leaving the European Union.

Trump said Starmer had been a “tough negotiator” during his visit to the White House in February. Starmer’s visit included delivering an invitation from King Charles III for a second state visit for Trump.

While the UK has not yet responded with retaliatory tariffs, the European Union on Thursday proposed new duties on US planes and cars if its own negotiations with Washington fail.

(With inputs from agencies)

More For You

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less