BRITAIN beat the world to be the first to carve out a deal to avoid Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.
The US President hailed as “historic”;, claiming it was possible only because of .
There was welcome relief for carmakers who will no longer pay 25 per cent tariffs, and steelmakers who have been spared duties.
But most UK goods heading to the US will still face ten per cent tariffs — meaning we remain worse off than before the President began his onslaught.
Critics, led by Tory leader and ex-Trade Secretary , said Brits had been “shafted”;.
American beef will be cheaper to import to the UK. However, No10 insisted last night there would be no reduction in food standards.
Just the beginning
Speaking form the Oval Office last night, Mr Trump — flanked by British ambassador to the Peter Mandelson and US Vice President — said the deal was “”; while holding a live televised call with Sir .
Dozens of countries are negotiating their own pacts since the White House’s punishing “liberation day”; tariffs were deployed last month, upending global trade.
But it emerged in the small print that Britain has goods heading here, while our products heading to the US will remain the same at ten per cent.
Mr Trump first alerted Sir Keir that a deal had been clinched in an on Wednesday night.
But sitting in , the US leader said the agreement was just the beginning.
He said: “This is a maxed-out deal that we’re going to make bigger.”;
He hit out at the , which is considering imposing tariffs worth £80billion if DC fails to remove a series of levies.
Mr Trump said: “The treated us extremely unfairly . . . and hurt themselves in doing so.
“They very much want to make a deal. We’ll be dealing with them. We are dealing with them currently. This was separate because of Brexit, in particular.”;
He added that bolstering trade was “always a big part of your decision on Brexit”; as he singled out the PM for praise.
Mr also praised the UK as “one of the greatest”; allies of the States and said the country “is right at the top — they’re the first one we’re talking about”;.
It will be seen as a major boost for Sir Keir, who has been under huge pressure from his own MPs to reverse the winter fuel payment cut following his party’s Runcorn and Helsby by-election loss to .
The agreement will slash on Britain’s car exports to America from 27.5 per cent to ten per cent for the first 100,000 vehicles sent to the US.
And steel tariffs will be reduced from 25 per cent to zero in a boost for the export market.
But the baseline ten per cent tariffs on all other goods imposed by Mr Trump at the beginning of April still remain.
And critics are already pointing to Britain appearing to have cut typical from 5.1 per cent to 1.8 per cent.
With this President and this Prime Minister, we’ve managed to achieve what many people tried to achieve for many years, and I’m really pleased.
Sir Keir Starmer
Ministers said that chlorinated chicken would remain illegal here under UK trading rules. said work would continue on sectors such as pharmaceuticals.
US tech companies will still be subject to the same taxes despite speculation they will be reduced.
Sir Keir travelled from commemorations at Westminster Abbey with the to the Land Rover factory in the , from where he spoke to Mr Trump.
He said: “With this President and this Prime Minister, we’ve managed to achieve what many people tried to achieve for many years, and I’m really pleased.
“This historic deal delivers for British and British workers, protecting thousands of British in key sectors including car manufacturing and steel.
“My government has put Britain at the front of the queue because we want to work constructively with allies for mutual benefit rather than turning our back on the world.”;
He also spoke about the timing of the deal on the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Sir Keir said: “Eighty years ago today, Churchill was addressing the nation at the end of the Second World War. Victory in .
“And we were standing the with the on defence and security.
“For 80 years we have been the closest of partners, and today we have added to that trade and the economy in the special relationship between us.”;
Lord Mandelson said the deal was “not the end, it’s the end just of the beginning”;.
But Ms Badenoch said: “When Labour negotiates, Britain loses. We cut our tariffs — America tripled theirs. Keir Starmer called this ‘historic.’ It’s not historic. We’ve just been shafted.”;
Reaction in the City was lukewarm, with the FTSE100 ending the day down by 0.3 per cent.
