US 'working very hard' with UK to negotiate 'great' trade deal, says JD Vance
15 April 2025, 06:03 | Updated: 15 April 2025, 08:13
The US is "working very hard" with the UK to negotiate a "great" trade deal, JD Vance has said.
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It comes after Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on imports to the United States several weeks ago, sending stock prices tumbling and sparking fears of a global recession.
Since then, Trump has rowed back on tariffs, reducing the rate paid on imports from most countries to 10 per cent and, on Saturday, exempting electronics such as smartphones and laptops from the levy – including the 145 per cent charge on imports from China.
The Government has been hopeful of a deal to exempt the UK from Trump’s tariffs, with Vance saying on Tuesday that he was optimistic that both sides could come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
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"We’re certainly working very hard with Keir Starmer’s government" on a trade deal, Vance told UnHerd.
"The President really loves the United Kingdom. He loved the Queen. He admires and loves the King.
"It is a very important relationship. And he’s a businessman and has a number of important business relationships in [Britain]. But I think it’s much deeper than that.
"There’s a real cultural affinity. And, of course, fundamentally, America is an Anglo country.
"I think there’s a good chance that, yes, we’ll come to a great agreement that’s in the best interest of both countries."
He went on to say the “reciprocal relationship” between the US and UK gave Britain a more advantageous position than other European countries when it comes to negotiating new trade arrangements.
"While we love the Germans, they are heavily dependent on exporting to the United States but are pretty tough on a lot of American businesses that would like to export into Germany," he said.
Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Tuesday, industry minister Sarah Jones said: "The conversations are ongoing... We know we're in a good position. We are having good conversations.
"The Secretary of State has been having good conversations with his partners and you know there is a deal there to be done... it's positive that the Vice President is positive about our negotiations."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will aim to continue negotiations for an economic deal with the US later this month when she travels to Washington to attend the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings with other finance ministers.