Business, Freight News


Trump holds out prospect of tariff-free UK trade deal

[ February 28, 2025   //   ]

US President Donald Trump indicated at a meeting with Prime Minister Kier Starmer on 27 February that he would be willing to sign a tariff-free trade deal with the UK – – avoiding the 25% import duties that he is threatening to slap on EU-produced goods.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs – import taxes – on many of its allies, including 25% on goods made in the European Union.

At a press conference, Trump said that there was “a very good chance” of a trade deal “where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary”.

Successive UK prime ministers have been seeking a new bilateral trade deal with the US since Brexit in 2021, but negotiations have repeatedly stalled.

While the prospect of a deal was generally welcomed by UK business chiefs, a wide divergence between UK and EU tariffs could have implications for Ireland, in particular Northern Ireland. Current arrangements under the Windsor Agreement are predicated on the assumption of relatively little difference between tariffs in Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, if a new trade policy was to create a greater incentive to move goods over the border from one jurisdiction to another, that could necessitate a rethink of existing arrangements.

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