Trump and Starmer Announce U.S.-UK Trade Deal Opening $5 Billion in New Export Opportunities

On May 8, 2025, the 80th anniversary of Victory Day for World War II, President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom. The White House said the deal provides American companies unprecedented access to UK markets while bolstering U.S. national security.

"The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol, and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers," President Trump said. Prime Minister Starmer said: "This is going to boost trade between and across our countries. It's going to not only protect jobs, but create jobs, opening market access."

According to the White House fact sheet, the deal will significantly expand U.S. market access in the UK, creating a $5 billion opportunity for new exports for U.S. farmers, ranchers and producers, including more than $700 million in ethanol exports and $250 million in other agricultural products, like beef. The UK will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminated against American products. The deal also ensures streamlined customs procedures for U.S. exports, establishes high-standard commitments on intellectual property, labor and the environment, secures the supply chain of U.S. aerospace manufacturers through preferential access to high-quality UK aerospace components, and creates a secure supply chain for pharmaceutical products.

On tariffs, the reciprocal tariff rate of 10%, as originally announced on April 2, remains in effect. The United States will agree to an alternative arrangement for the Section 232 tariffs on UK autos: under the deal, the first 100,000 vehicles imported into the U.S. by UK car manufacturers each year are subject to the reciprocal rate of 10%, and any additional vehicles each year are subject to 25% rates. On steel and aluminum, the United States recognizes the economic security measures taken by the UK to combat global steel excess capacity and will negotiate an alternative arrangement to the Section 232 tariffs; the White House said the deal creates a new trading union for steel and aluminum.

The White House said U.S. total goods trade with the UK was an estimated $148 billion in 2024; that the UK average applied agricultural tariff is 9.2%, while the U.S. average applied agricultural tariff prior to April 2 was 5%; and that the UK imposes tariffs that can exceed 125% on meat, poultry and dairy products. President Trump had spoken with Prime Minister Starmer on April 18 about the bilateral trade relationship, and on April 2 he had imposed a 10% tariff on all countries.

Related: Trump Signs Executive Order 14257 Imposing Reciprocal Tariffs: 10% Global Baseline, 34% on China

Related: U.S. and China Issue Geneva Joint Statement, Each Cutting Tariffs by 115 Percentage Points

(Source: The White House)

Source: The White House

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：2025年5月8日，特朗普总统在白宫椭圆办公室宣布美英贸易协议，商务部长 Howard Lutnick、副总统 JD Vance 与英国驻美大使 Peter Mandelson 等在场。白宫官方照片，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: President Donald Trump announces the U.S.-UK trade deal in the Oval Office of the White House on May 8, 2025, joined by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Vice President JD Vance and British Ambassador Peter Mandelson. Official White House photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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