US-UK trade deal to be completed ‘very soon’, says Starmer

KANANASKIS: Britain and the US should finalise “very soon” the implementation of a trade deal agreed last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada. “I’m very pleased that we made that trade deal, and we're in the final stages now of implementation, and I expect that to be completed very soon.”

Britain was the first country to agree a deal for lower tariffs from Trump, with the US reducing tariffs on imports of UK cars, aluminium and steel, and Britain agreeing to lower tariffs on US beef and ethanol. But implementation of the deal has been delayed while details were finalised.

On steel and aluminium, the US agreed to lower the 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Britain to zero, subject to setting a quota for British steel imports that must meet supply chain requirements.

Britain had avoided tariffs of up to 50 per cent on steel and aluminium that the US imposed on other countries earlier this month, but could face elevated tariffs from July 9 unless a deal to implement the tariff reduction is reached.