A new tariff agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States has ignited a wave of diverse reactions among British political leaders. Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded the deal as “fantastic” and “historic,” while critics denounced it as one-sided and harmful to domestic industries.
At a press conference on Thursday, Starmer announced that the UK and the U.S. have agreed to reduce tariffs on a range of products, including steel and automobiles. Under the deal, tariffs on British steel and aluminum exports to the United States will be eliminated. The U.S. will lower tariffs on up to 100,000 British-made vehicles per year, reducing the rate from 27.5 percent to 10 percent.
Additionally, the agreement includes new reciprocal market access on beef, granting UK farmers a tariff-free quota for 13,000 tonnes. Starmer emphasized that there will be no weakening of UK food standards on imports. In return, Britain will scrap tariffs on American ethanol imports.
“The tariff cuts will come into place as soon as possible,” Starmer said, calling it a “fantastic, historic” day for UK-U.S. relations. He addressed reporters while joining U.S. President Donald Trump for a phone briefing from the Oval Office.
However, domestic reactions were far from unanimous. Local media noted that the 10-percent tariff announced by Trump in early April still applies to most other UK goods exported to the U.S.
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, criticized the deal on social media, stating, “We cut our tariffs—America tripled theirs. Keir Starmer called this ‘historic.’ It’s not historic; we’ve just been shafted!”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey echoed these concerns, warning that the agreement fails to protect British industries. “Even after today’s deal, Trump’s terrible tariffs will still be hitting British jobs and businesses hard. The only way we will end Trump’s damaging trade war is by standing tough with our allies across Europe and the Commonwealth,” he said on X.
