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US/UK Trade deal

(55 Posts)
Wyllow3 Thu 08-May-25 14:46:08

Announcements are imminent. Trump will announce first. But there is a salutary warning:

But there is a notable difference in how the UK and the US have been describing this arrangement

The chancellor told me about an "economic and prosperity deal" but the president calls this a "major trade deal

This difference has been there since Keir Starmer met the president in the Oval Office.

What to look out for - it does seem modest

The narrow scope appears to have meant some consideration of lower tariffs for US exports of cars to the UK (from 10% to 2.5%).
In return, the UK could win some sort of tariff-free or lower tariff quota exemption from the 25% tariffs on cars. This is the UK’s biggest goods export. The generosity or not of this depends entirely on the number agreed.

Something similar could apply in steel.

The big problem was pharmaceuticals. The president has not announced his trade restrictions on medicines yet. The danger was for the UK to agree a deal, but then be hit by a subsequent global tariff on its second most important goods export

And there are still concerns about any trade deal being aid in with the NHS.

Several sources are following events as they happen including BBC

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn91dxzv4pnt?post=asset%3Ad1f519b8-2927-486e-9592-19a877eeca4c#post

Casdon Sat 10-May-25 17:50:51

Wyllow3

It's a mini deal compared with the benefits of a better trade relationship with the EU.
What are these "recent rumours"? I've seen none. Starmer has never proposed a return to the EU, just always trade, customs, security deals. We have lost a lot of trade with the EU, more than gained just now with the US.

Perhaps the ‘recent rumours’ come from here, the bastion of scare the horses journalism.
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/04/all-the-ways-labour-is-rejoining-the-eu-by-stealth/

Wyllow3 Sat 10-May-25 19:04:05

It's behind a paywall Casdon so I cant see how they are justifying their claim of "stealth" joining, just because we are talking security and trade.

Casdon Sat 10-May-25 19:25:37

Sorry Wyllow3, it was the only media article I could find written recently that supported that there had been any recent discussion about UK rejoining the EU.

Wyllow3 Sat 10-May-25 19:32:18

How much to wager that tomorrows' DM or Express picks up on this meme....