U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that they had finalised a trade deal agreed upon by the allies last month.
Trump, standing alongside Starmer at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada, said the relationship with Britain was “just fantastic,” as he waved, and briefly dropped a document which he said he had just signed.
“We signed it and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income,” the U.S. President said.
‘Really Important Agreement’
Starmer said that the finalised document puts into effect the agreement to reduce tariffs on automobiles and aerospace products, calling it a “really important agreement.”
He emphasised its significance by saying, “This is a very good day for both our countries — a true demonstration of strength.”
President Trump echoed the optimism, noting that the UK is now “very well protected” from future tariffs. “You know why? Because I like them,” he quipped.
However, he stopped short of confirming whether tariffs on British steel exports to the U.S. would be reduced to 0%, saying, “We’re gonna let you have that information in a little while.”
Trump Hails Ties
Trump also praised Starmer as a “great” prime minister, crediting him for achieving a deal that had been elusive for years. “He’s done what others couldn’t. We’ve talked about this deal for six years, and he got it done,” Trump remarked.
He continued: “We’ve always been longtime partners, allies, and friends — and we’ve become friends in a short period of time. He’s slightly more liberal than me, to put it mildly… but we get along.”
Starmer affirmed the working relationship by saying, “We make it work.”
Reciprocal Tariffs
Following Trump’s imposition of ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs in April, the UK launched efforts to lower duties on its goods. At the time, the U.S. had introduced 10% “reciprocal” tariffs on all British exports, along with separate 25% tariffs on cars and steel.
In a joint televised call in May, Starmer and Trump revealed that the two nations had reached a trade deal, while noting that finer details were still being finalised.
Ahead of this week’s summit, Starmer reiterated plans to meet Trump for direct one-on-one talks, stressing that the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors protected under our deal — and we’ve got to implement that.”
(With inputs from Reuters and IBNS)
