Donald Trump said the UK has ‘the ultimate protection’ from further tariffs after he and Keir Starmer agreed a trade deal that he said will ‘produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income’
Donald Trump has revealed why the UK is “very well protected” from future tariffs following the agreement of a trade deal.
Standing alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Monday, the US president accidentally dropped papers on the floor and then said: “We signed it, and it’s done.” The deal will slash tariffs on goods from both countries. Addressing reporters in Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada, Trump said the deal would “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”, to which Starmer replied: “Donald, thank you very much. This now implements on car tariffs and aerospace.
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“A really important agreement. And so this is a very good day for both of our countries, a real sign of strength.” Trump was then asked by a journalist if he could guarantee that the UK will be protected from any future tariffs.
He replied: “The UK is very well protected, you know why? Because I like them, that’s why. That’s the ultimate protection.” Trump then went on to praise the “great” British PM, saying: “The Prime minister’s done a great job.
“I just want to tell that to the people of the United Kingdom. He’s done a very, very good job. He’s done what other people… we’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”
In recent months, the UK has held a series of engagements aimed at securing a reduction in the tariffs Trump imposed on Britain and the rest of the world on April 2. Along with 10% tariffs on all British goods, the president imposed 25% levies on cars and steel.
He later increased the tariff on steel to 50%, but gave the UK a reprieve, keeping its rate at 25% until at least July 9. Under the broad terms of last month’s agreement, the US will implement quotas that will effectively eliminate the tariff on British steel and reduce the tariff on UK vehicles to 10%.
Trump and Starmer announced in May they had struck an agreement that would slash US import taxes on British cars, steel and aluminium in return for greater access to the British market for US products including beef and ethanol. However, the agreement did not immediately take effect, leaving British businesses uncertain about whether the UK could be exposed to any surprise hikes from Trump.