UK agency on sustaining meals requirements in US commerce talks
24 April 2025
3 minute learn
Britain’s authorities will not be in a rush to safe a commerce cope with US President Donald Trump’s administration, finance minister Rachel Reeves mentioned on Wednesday, and he or she dominated out making concessions on meals requirements within the talks, reported Reuters.Â
“We’re not going to hurry a deal. We wish to get the suitable deal that is in our nationwide curiosity and people talks are ongoing,” Reeves informed reporters in Washington.
“It is clear that the US as properly desires a deal. And so these discussions proceed.”
Reeves, like a lot of her international friends, hopes to make progress in direction of decreasing Trump’s import tariffs whereas attending the Worldwide Financial Fund and World Financial institution spring conferences within the US capital this week.
The Wall Avenue Journal reported on Tuesday that the US wished Britain to cut back its levies and different non-tariff boundaries on quite a lot of items together with a leisure of guidelines on US agricultural imports, comparable to beef.
“We’re not going to be stress-free our meals requirements. We have been clear with the US about that they usually respect that and perceive that,” Reeves mentioned. “So that’s not one thing that is on the desk in these discussions.”
In addition to in search of an settlement with the US, Britain desires to decrease its post-Brexit boundaries to commerce with the European Union, a plan which could possibly be made extra sophisticated if London agreed to Washington’s calls for on meals requirements.
The WSJ additionally mentioned the US wished Britain to chop its automotive import tariff to 2.5% from 10%, citing folks with data of a draft US doc.
Reeves declined to touch upon particulars of tariff discussions however pushed again towards options the UK was below stress to present floor on non-tariff boundaries in key sectors together with cars in addition to guidelines for social media companies.
“We aren’t going to be altering our requirements based mostly on asks from international governments. So discussions, choices round meals requirements, round digital providers, round auto requirements, are choices for the UK authorities to make,” she mentioned.
Reeves is because of meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week and he or she mentioned she hoped to make progress in direction of a commerce deal that builds on US-UK defence and safety ties.
“I feel that there’s a deal to be executed each on tariffs and likewise a wider deal past the rapid problem of tariffs round expertise, a expertise partnership constructing on the nationwide safety and defence partnership,” she mentioned.
Requested about official information printed on Wednesday exhibiting higher-than-expected UK authorities borrowing, Reeves mentioned she was ready to take powerful motion in a two-year spending evaluate in June.
“The numbers in the present day simply reinforce to me the significance that this authorities is putting on controlling the general public funds,” she mentioned.
“I’ve completely little doubt we are able to make massive enhancements within the productiveness of our public providers, and that’s what the spending evaluate shall be driving ahead.”
