Donald Trump to announce ‘major trade deal' with UK on Thursday
By John Besley, PA
Donald Trump will on Thursday announce the US has reached a “major trade deal” with a “highly respected country”, the US president said.
Multiple media outlets in the US, including The New York Times, reported the deal was with the UK, citing people familiar with the plans.
The PA news agency has approached the UK government for comment.
Mr Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce he would hold a news conference in the Oval Office at 10am local time (3pm BST) about a “major trade deal with representatives of a big, and highly respected, country”.
It would mark the first deal agreed upon since Mr Trump’s “liberation day” announcement of sweeping tariffs last month.
The US and UK have been holding discussions over a potential trade deal, with UK chancellor Rachel Reeves saying the British government has been working “flat out” to secure an agreement that would mitigate the impact of the tariffs.
The UK on Tuesday announced it had come to terms on a trade deal with India, which will mean dramatic tariff reductions on scotch whisky and car exports to India.
Levies on aerospace, electricals and other food products will also fall under the agreement, while UK consumers are expected to benefit from tariffs being reduced on some Indian goods such as clothing imported to the country.
Announcing the deal, UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “We are now in a new era for trade and the economy. That means going further and faster to strengthen the UK’s economy, putting more money in working people’s pockets.”
He added: “Today we have agreed a landmark deal with India – one of the fastest growing economies in the world, which will grow the economy and deliver for British people and business.”
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi described it as a “historic milestone” and an “ambitious and mutually beneficial” trade agreement that will “catalyse trade, investment, growth, job creation, and innovation in both our economies”.
