Keir Starmer denies Donald Trump 'bounced' him into announcing US trade deal on VE Day

Keir Starmer clinched the basis of a historic trade deal with that will save thousands of British manufacturing jobs - during a phone call that interrupted an Arsenal game.

After months of negotiations, it finally came down to an unexpected phone call from the US President, while Mr Starmer was watching the second half of Arsenal's defeat to Paris san Germain on Wednesday evening.

Announcing the deal today, Mr Starmer told workers at Jaguar Land Rover's plant in Solihull the deal would mean a "huge and important reduction" in the tariffs President Trump had been holding over car manufacturers. And he said it would give "unprecedented market access" for UK farmers to the US market - without compromising on food standards.

The deal reduces tariffs on steel and aluminium exports to the US from 25% to zero - and cuts the rate on car exports to 10% for up to 100,000 cars, almost the total the UK exported last year. In return, it will become easier for American firms to sell beef and agricultural products in the UK - though the Prime Minister insisted Britain's high food standards rules remained a "red line". The UK's tariffs on ethanol - used to make beer - will also be reduced to zero.

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But the 10% base rate Trump plans to introduce on all imports in early July will stay in place for now - though negotiations will continue. The deal was welcomed by the steel industry, which the government last week rescued from the brink of collapse by nationalising British Steel's plant at Scunthorpe. And it will help secure a future for thousands of jobs in manufacturing - including those at Jaguar Land Rover.

Standing with workers, and in front of three freshly made Land Rovers panted in red, white and blue, the PM said he had staff at the plant "in my mind's eye" as he was hammering out the deal. Meanwhile, President Trump showered Mr Starmer with praise in the Oval Office. "The US and UK have been working for years to try and make a deal and it never quite got there," Trump said, during a televised phone call with Mr Starmer. "It did with this Prime Minister, so I want to just congratulate you."

Mr Starmer replied: "With this president and this Prime Minister we've managed to achieve what many people tried to achieve for many years, and I'm really pleased." He added: "This historic deal delivers for British business and British workers protecting thousands of British jobs in key sectors including car manufacturing and steel.

"My government has put Britain at the front of the queue because we want to work constructively with allies for mutual benefit rather than turning our back on the ."

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick added that British-made Rolls-Royce engines would be excluded from tariffs, with a UK airline agreeing to buy "10 billion worth of Boeing planes later today". And Trump said the UK would also be brought into "economic security alignment" with the US as a result of the deal.

Asked if Britain was on a better footing with the deal than before the US introduced tariffs, Mr Starmer said: "The question you should be asking is, is it better than where we were yesterday?" He added: "What this does is to reduce to zero the tariffs on steel and aluminium. Look how important that is. Reduces massively from 27.5% to 10% the tariffs on the cars that we export, so important to JLR (Jaguar Land Rover), actually to the sector generally, but JLR in particular, who sell so many cars into the American market, proudly do that.

"Of course, it also includes pharmaceuticals, some really important measures. Obviously, we don't have tariffs yet, but we've got within the deal significantly preferential treatment whatever happens in the future. So this is hugely important for our pharmaceutical sector as well. In addition to that, we said we had red lines on standards, particularly in agriculture. We've kept to those standards."

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And the PM told critics who accuse him of "cosying up" to the President that Britain would not "show its strength by rejecting its allies" - adding the British people would not benefit from him "storming out" of talks with the US. But the announcement will be a boon for President Trump, who has struggled to get Americans on board with his tariff plans in recent weeks.

The timing was clearly unexpected - with a hastily-arranged press conference interrupting a day supposed to be reserved for VE Day commemorations. But Mr Starmer denied the UK had been "bounced" into announcing the deal to help Trump out.

"Our teams have been hard at work for weeks on end," he told the at the press conference. "I've wanted to get a deal over the line, I'm not ashamed of that, because I knew how important it is for JLR that we got a deal over the line...in a timely manner. The last thing I wanted to do was get a deal which didn't come in time for those who need it."

He added: "No, I didn't know the exact date. I wouldn't have been having my call with President Trump halfway through the second half of the Arsenal PSG game had I planned it better. But that's the way it turned out, and that's the discussion we were having late last night about how we proceeded with this deal."

The PM said it was "really significant" to be able to announce the deal on VE Day, because "America was standing by us as our ally 80 years ago today. So today is an opportunity to reflect on the fact that we stand together as allies on security and defence, of course, there are no two countries that are closer on security and defence. But now we add trade and the economy to those issues where we're the closest of allies."

Asked about Vice President JD Vance's insistence that concessions on our anti-hate speech laws and a promotion of "free speech" being a "red line" for him in trade deal negotiations, Mr Starmer insisted: "We've had free speech in this country for a very very long time. It's one of our foundational principles, and that will long be the case. There's nothing in this deal that impinges on that in any way whatsoever."

Conservative leader criticised the deal, saying Britain had been "shafted". She said: "When negotiates, Britain loses. We cut our tariffs - America tripled theirs." Meanwhile, the demanded a vote on the deal in Parliament, saying it would show "complete disrespect to the public" if MPs were denied a say.

Sir Ed Davey said: "When it comes to any trade deal - and especially one with someone as unreliable as Donald Trump - the devil will be in the detail. One thing is clear, Trump's trade tariffs are still hitting key British industries, threatening the livelihoods of people across the UK."

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