US-Britain, close to trade deal - Trump-Starmer accelerate talks on tariff reduction
US President Donald Trump is expected to announce the framework of a trade deal with the United Kingdom, according to two people familiar with the matter, after warning of a major announcement with a "great and highly respected country".
The specifics of any agreement were not immediately clear, and there was no comment from the White House or the British embassy in Washington on whether an actual deal had been reached or whether the basis would require further negotiations. Any deal would mark the first pact for the administration since it imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners last month.
In a post on Truth Social preceding the announcement, Trump was vague and did not reveal the location or conditions.
"Big press conference, regarding a trade deal with representatives of a great and highly respected country. First of many!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. There was uncertainty about what exactly Trump would announce from the Oval Office about the planned event, given that the president does not have unilateral authority to enter into trade deals and must secure approval from Congress.
The United States has been in talks with the United Kingdom for weeks, as both sides sought to reach a quick deal, discussing lowering British tariffs on American cars and agricultural products, as well as lowering British taxes on American technology companies.
Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, has ruled out lowering food production standards to allow more trade in American agricultural products, as officials prioritize signing a separate agreement with the EU that is expected to align British standards with European ones.
A team of senior British trade negotiators landed in Washington on Wednesday, as talks on a deal between the two countries accelerated.
British officials from the Department for Business and Trade are trying to seal a deal ahead of a planned UK-EU summit on May 19. They have said they are aiming to ease tariffs in a narrow range of sectors, with the aim of reaching an agreement before formal negotiations with the EU begin on a separate European deal.
A draft agreement submitted to the US a week ago would cut tariffs on British exports of steel, aluminium and cars in exchange for a lower rate of the digital services tax, paid by a handful of major US technology companies.
The United Kingdom was not hit by the reciprocal tariffs because the United States has a trade surplus, selling more to Britain than it buys. But London has been hit, like every other country, by the 10% global tariff and 25% tax on foreign steel, aluminum and cars.
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