UK not in a Hurray to sign Trade deal with Trump’s administration
Quick overview
- Finance Minister Rachel Reeves emphasized that Britain is not rushing to negotiate a trade deal with the Trump administration and will not compromise on food standards.
- Reeves aims to reduce U.S. import tariffs while attending the IMF and World Bank meetings in Washington, D.C.
- The U.S. is pushing for Britain to lower its automotive import tariff and relax rules on agricultural imports, but Reeves insists that food standards will remain unchanged.
- Reeves is set to meet with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss a potential trade deal that could enhance U.S.-UK defense and security ties.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves stated that Britain is not in a rush to negotiate a trade agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration and that she would not compromise on food standards during the negotiations.
“We’re not going to rush a deal. We want to get the right deal that’s in our national interest, and those talks are ongoing,” Reeves told reporters in Washington.
“It’s clear that the U.S wants a deal. And so those discussions continue.”
Reeves hopes to make progress toward reducing Trump’s import tariffs while attending the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington, DC.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the US wanted Britain to reduce its levies and other non-tariff barriers on various goods, including a relaxation of rules on U. S. agricultural imports, such as beef.
“We’re not going to be relaxing our food standards. We’ve been clear with the U. S. about that, and they respect that,” Reeves said. “So that is not something on the table in these discussions.”
In addition to seeking an agreement with the US, Britain aims to lower its post-Brexit barriers to trade with the European Union, A plan could become more complicated if London agrees to Washington’s demands on food standards.
The WSJ highlighted that the US wanted Britain to cut its automotive import tariff to 2.5% from 10%.
Reeves declined to comment on the details of tariff discussions but pushed back against suggestions that the UK will concede on non-tariff barriers in key sectors, including automobiles and rules for social media firms.
“We are not changing our standards based on requests from foreign governments. So discussions, decisions around food standards, digital services, and auto standards, are decisions for the UK government to make,” she said.
Reeves is due to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week, and she said she hoped to progress toward a trade deal that builds on U.S.-UK defense and security ties.
“I think that there is a deal to be done both on tariffs and also a wider deal beyond the immediate issue of tariffs around technology, a technology partnership building on the national security and defense partnership,” she said
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