Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis
Al-Qassam Brigades: A NIMR armored personnel carrier carrying an Israeli soldier was targeted with an Al-Yassin missile north of Khan Younis
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes

Trump, Starmer strike 'breakthrough' US-UK trade deal

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 8 May 2025 21:15
3 Min Read

A new US-UK trade pact offers tariff relief and expanded access for US agriculture but leaves critical sectors unresolved as both nations face global economic headwinds.

Listen
  • x
  • President Donald Trump speaks on the phone to Britian's Prime Minister Keir Starmer aon a trade deal between the US and United Kingdom in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
    President Donald Trump speaks on the phone to Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer about a trade deal between the US and the United Kingdom in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have announced a new bilateral trade agreement, described by both leaders as a “breakthrough” in transatlantic economic relations. The deal marks the first major shift in Trump’s ongoing global tariff strategy and offers a symbolic boost to Starmer as he seeks to assert the UK’s independent post-Brexit trade identity.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump framed the deal as the first in a series of upcoming bilateral pacts. “We have reached a breakthrough trade deal with the United Kingdom,” he said. “It includes billions of dollars in increased market access for American exports, especially agriculture.”

The agreement reduces tariffs on British automobiles and steel, with car tariffs dropping from 27.5% to 10%, according to UK officials. However, a 10% base levy on British exports to the US remains in place, and several sensitive sectors, including pharmaceuticals and digital trade, were left outside the scope of this initial deal.

A UK government source described the agreement as a “general terms document,” setting the framework for future negotiations. Trump, pushing back on media suggestions that he exaggerated the scope, said, “This is a maxed-out deal, not like you said it really incorrectly… We’re going to be doing a lot more.”

Related News

Trump to make historic second UK State visit at King's invitation

EU rallies allies as Trump tariff threats push trade tensions higher

UK opens to US agriculture amid public skepticism

In exchange, Britain has agreed to expand access to its markets for US beef and agricultural products, concessions that have stirred public unease over food safety and regulatory standards. Consumer advocacy groups in the UK have long opposed easing restrictions on US imports that they consider environmentally or ethically questionable.

During a visit to a Jaguar Land Rover facility in the Midlands, Starmer celebrated the deal’s potential economic impact on the UK auto sector. “That is a huge and important reduction,” he said, referring to the lowered car tariffs. He linked the timing to the anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, branding it a “really fantastic, historic day.”

Tactical pause in escalation

The agreement follows Starmer’s February visit to Washington, during which he extended an invitation for a state visit from King Charles III, part of a broader diplomatic push to reset UK foreign policy. That effort also included the announcement of a free trade deal with India earlier this week, Britain's largest such pact since its exit from the European Union.

For Trump, who imposed new 10% tariffs on a range of global imports in April, the UK deal marks a tactical pause in escalation. While the UK has avoided retaliation thus far, trade relations with other allies remain tense. The European Union, still negotiating its own deal with Washington, has threatened tariffs on US automobiles and aircraft if talks collapse.

As London prepares for an upcoming EU-UK summit on May 19, the new US trade deal signals progress, but observers caution that comprehensive agreements on pharmaceuticals, data, and digital services remain far from resolved.

  • United States
  • US-UK trade deal
  • Keir Starmer
  • United Kingdom
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS