President Donald Trump has threatened to rip up the trade deal between the United Kingdom and the United States as tension rises over Britain’s willingness to join the Iran war.
Mr Trump told Sky News on Wednesday that he was considering reneging on the trade pact, which lowers tariffs on key UK imports and raises the UK quotas on certain American products.
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The deal, signed in 2025, set a 10 per cent baseline tariff on a wide range of British goods. The US also introduced specific exemptions that provide preferential terms for the UK civil aerospace industry and its automobile exports.
Keir Starmer had once described the deal as one of his biggest achievements since becoming British Prime Minister in 2024.
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However, Mr Trump said it was “sad” that the bilateral relationship had deteriorated since the UK refused to join the war against Iran.
“We gave them a good trade deal, better than I had to, which can always be changed,” he told Sky News.
“It’s the relationship where when we asked them for help, they were not there when we needed them. They were not there and they still aren’t there,” he said.
“I love your country, and I would love to see it succeed. But if you have bad immigration policies and bad energy policies, you have the worst of both. You can’t succeed, not possible,” he said.
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Responding to this, Keir Starmer, who earlier refused Mr Trump’s requests to assist the US Navy in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, said he would not yield to Mr Trump’s threat.
He told members of parliament that his stance on the war would not change, regardless of threats or pressure from the White House.
He said, “My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We’re not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war.
“A lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night. I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield.
“It is not in our national interest to join this war, and we will not do so. I know where I stand.”
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