Starmer says US-UK trade deal to be completed 'very soon,' Trump proclamation expected
US President Donald Trump makes an announcement about a trade deal with the UK, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, May 8, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis)
KANANASKIS, Alberta: Britain and the United States should finalize "very soon" the implementation of a trade deal agreed last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday (Jun 16) ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Canada.
Trump is expected to sign a proclamation on the terms of the deal covering steel, ethanol, autos and beef, three sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.
Work on the proclamation had been completed, but it was not immediately clear if Trump would sign it when he meets Starmer later on Monday, the sources said.
"I'm certainly seeing President Trump today, and I'm going to discuss with him our trade deal," Starmer told reporters on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting.
"I'm very pleased that we made that trade deal, and we're in the final stages now of implementation, and I expect that to be completed very soon."
Britain was the first country to agree a deal for lower tariffs from Trump, with the US reducing tariffs on imports of UK cars, aluminium and steel, and Britain agreeing to lower tariffs on US beef and ethanol.
But implementation of the deal has been delayed while details were being hammered out. The proclamation readied by the White House will set an effective date in coming weeks, one of the sources said.
On steel and aluminium, the US agreed to lower the 25 percent tariffs on imports from Britain to zero, subject to setting a quota for British steel imports that must meet supply chain requirements.
Britain had avoided tariffs of up to 50 percent on steel and aluminium that the US imposed on other countries earlier this month, but could face elevated tariffs from Jul 9 unless a deal to implement the tariff reduction is reached.
