A UK-US trade deal is on the table. On a surprisingly successful trip to Washington, US President Donald Trump made it clear to the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that a trade agreement with the United States was close. “We could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs won’t be necessary,” Trump said after his meeting with the British delegation. “We’ll see.”
Britain’s dire economic performance means that the UK is hardly in a position to turn down a deal
With our economy in dire trouble, Britain needs this agreement more than ever. There is just one problem: Sir Keir will have to take on his own party to get it over the line. It is far from clear that he is brave enough to do so.
A trade deal with the US will be hard for the left to swallow because it could mean decisively breaking with the EU. It will also surely rule out closer alignment with, never mind ever rejoining, the bloc. It will mean opening up the British market in sectors such as agriculture and pharmaceuticals. Even if chlorinated chicken isn’t forced upon us, other imports will have to be allowed. It will also mean lighter regulation for the American tech giants. And it will mean cosying up to a president the left despises.
A deal between the UK and US is not yet done; nothing is ready for signing. But the early indication seems clear that Trump is willing to wrap up an agreement with the UK that was on hold during the Joe Biden administration. This is more than Starmer could have hoped for. Trump has demonstrated that he is deadly serious about tariffs. China, Canada and Mexico, and the EU, with its punitive levies on American cars, restrictions on food imports, and its huge trade surplus with the US, are on the hit list. The UK badly needs to carve out an exception. The US is our largest trading partner. Now, it looks like Trump might be willing to let the UK off the hook.
Britain’s dire economic performance means that the UK is hardly in a position to turn down a deal. And yet Labour MPs could easily put a spanner in the works. What is guaranteed is that the PM will face a backlash from his party, and perhaps from his own cabinet. But he will have no realistic choice. If he is to be any kind of national leader, he needs the UK-US deal – whether Labour MPs like it or not.
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