Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have engaged in talks regarding the “constructive negotiations” for a UK-US “economic prosperity deal”, as stated by Downing Street.
The leaders explored the potential agreement during a phone conversation on Sunday, with both sides agreeing that negotiations will “proceed swiftly,” according to an official statement.
A representative from Downing Street remarked: “The Prime Minister had a discussion with President Trump this evening.
“The President began by extending his best wishes for His Majesty the King‘s health.
“They spoke about the positive negotiations taking place between their teams regarding a UK-US economic prosperity deal, confirming that these discussions will advance quickly this week.
“Concerning Ukraine, the Prime Minister provided the President with updates on the fruitful dialogues from the Coalition of Willing meeting in Paris this week. They concurred on the necessity of maintaining collective pressure on Putin.
“Both leaders agreed to keep in contact over the coming days.”
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. Pic: PA
Earlier this week, Mr. Trump announced a new 25% tariff on all imported cars, which poses a significant threat to UK’s largest single export market.
In an executive order signed on Wednesday, Mr. Trump declared that the tax would come into effect on April 2, referred to by him as “liberation day”.
British manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Aston Martin, and Rolls-Royce are likely to be significantly impacted by the newly implemented tariffs.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player.
Trump ‘wants lasting peace in Ukraine’
However, the government has indicated that it would not take retaliatory measures, similar to its response to the-steel and aluminum tariffs recently imposed globally by the Trump administration.
Tariffs are a fundamental aspect of Mr. Trump’s strategy to reshape international trade dynamics.
He aims to introduce what he terms “reciprocal” taxes on “liberation day,” designed to mirror tariffs and sales taxes imposed by other countries. The specifics regarding the potential tariffs and the affected nations remain uncertain.
Read more:
Trump ‘p***ed off’ with Putin after Zelenskyy comments
How will Trump’s economic tariffs affect the UK?
Vance hits out at Denmark during Greenland visit
The UK government hopes that an economic agreement with the US would protect the nation from a wider application of reciprocal tariffs.
On Friday, Mr. Trump expressed willingness to negotiate deals with countries looking to avoid US tariffs, although those discussions will commence after April 2.
Additionally, Mr. Trump has already implemented a 20% tax on all imports from China.
He has also imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, alongside a lower 10% tariff on Canadian energy products, in addition to duties on steel and aluminum imports from the UK.
The two leaders had a “brief call” last Sunday regarding the economic prosperity deal and had spoken again roughly three weeks prior to discuss the US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Starmer and Mr. Trump appeared to display a friendly rapport during their meeting in the Oval Office last month.
However, just one day later, the US President and Vice President JD Vance reprimanded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, indicating a significant shift in the US’s stance toward Ukraine and reinforcing Mr. Starmer’s role as a mediator between Europe and the US in the ongoing peace dialogues.
Mr. Starmer and Mr. Trump also had two conversations prior to their face-to-face meeting.
