UK dreams of US trade deal before Trump tariffs

2 weeks ago 14
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) met with US President Donald Trump (R) astatine  the White House successful  February 2025UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) met with US President Donald Trump (R) astatine the White House successful February 2025. Photo: CARL COURT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP
Source: AFP

Britain's authorities is hoping to scope a last-minute post-Brexit commercialized statement with Washington to debar -- oregon astatine slightest mitigate -- much tariffs acceptable to beryllium announced connected Wednesday by US President Donald Trump.

Current position?

Britain has acceptable retired to onslaught a commercialized woody with the United States since departing the European Union astatine the commencement of the decade, but had been unsuccessful nether the erstwhile Conservative government.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, person of the Labour party that won powerfulness successful July, visited Washington astatine the extremity of February and came distant hopeful an accord could beryllium reached.

Trump himself held retired the imaginable of a "great" woody that could debar tariffs connected Britain, hailing Starmer arsenic a pugnacious negotiator.

Talks person continued, with Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds precocious visiting Washington, portion Starmer and Trump took up the baton successful a telephone telephone earlier this week.

It is thought that the UK authorities wants to hold immoderate benignant of commercialized woody up of April 2 -- termed "Liberation Day" by Trump, erstwhile helium is acceptable to unveil supposedly "reciprocal" tariffs, tailored to antithetic trading partners.

It would travel Trump's announcement this week of imposing steep tariffs connected imported vehicles and car parts, vowing retaliation arsenic commercialized tensions intensify and terms hikes look connected the horizon.

"We're engaged successful discussions with the United States astir mitigating the interaction of tariffs," Starmer said heading into the weekend.

Finance curate Rachel Reeves connected Thursday said Britain would not question to "escalate" commercialized wars, successful opposition to beardown comments by different large economical powers that hinted astatine retaliation successful effect to the auto-sector tariffs.

What benignant of deal?

Downing Street has described a imaginable statement arsenic an "economic prosperity deal", indicating it volition autumn abbreviated of a escaped commercialized woody yet sought by London.

As it stands, the United States is the UK's azygous largest state trading partner.

"Some benignant of statement that mightiness fto the UK flight immoderate tariffs is imaginable but it would not beryllium a full-scale commercialized deal," Jonathan Portes, prof of economics astatine King's College London, told AFP.

"Brexit is simply a treble edged sword -- it gives america much flexibility and we can negociate with a presumption to our ain interests.

"But equally, it means we person little value than arsenic portion of the EU and moreover we cannot spend to hold to thing that complicates our trading narration with the EU," Portes added.

What could the UK concede?

UK media has reported that London whitethorn scrap a taxation connected tech giants to avert US tariffs nether Trump and wide a pathway to a commercialized deal.

Starmer successful effect stressed that "in the end, our nationalist involvement has to travel first, which means each options are connected the table".

His spokesperson added that the UK volition "make definite that businesses wage their just stock of tax, including businesses successful the integer sector".

The integer taxation is presently worthy astir £800 cardinal ($1 billion) annually to the UK Treasury.

Reynolds conceded that the integer taxation is not "something that tin ne'er alteration oregon we tin ne'er person a speech about".

Portes, on with David Henig, manager of the UK Trade Policy Project, pointed to the hazard of altering Britain's taxation argumentation successful instrumentality for a committedness from Trump implicit tariff exemptions.

"If Trump keeps his connection and the UK gains important benefits arsenic a result, past eliminating a taxation could beryllium a bully deal," Henig told AFP.

"That, however, is rather a gamble."

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Source: AFP

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