US-UK To Announce Tariff Deal
BBC News
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US-UK To Announce Tariff Deal
BBC News
The US and the UK will announce a deal to reduce tariffs today
Last night, US President Donald Trump said there would be a "big" news conference at 10:00 (15:00 BST) to announce a "major trade deal" with a "highly respected country"
Downing Street says Keir Starmer will provide an update later today
Currently, most goods imported to the US from the UK face 10% tariffs, with higher rates on steel, aluminium, and cars – the UK also charges tariffs on some US goods
The deal could see reduced tariffs for UK cars, and a cut in the digital sales tax on US firms, writes our business editor Simon Jack
But for all the fanfare, this will not be a traditional free trade deal, writes our deputy economics editor Dharshini David
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Henry Zeffman breaks down the expected US and UK new tariffs deal
Simon Jack
Business editor
The UK government has confirmed it will announce an agreement on tariffs later today.
Currently the US imposes tariffs of 25% on steel, aluminium and cars – with a baseline or universal tariff of 10% on nearly everything else.
The 25% car tariffs have bitten hard as cars are the UK's number one export to the US – worth around £9 billion last year.
JLR sold 100,000 vehicles in the US last year and temporarily paused exports last month.
What car industry executives are keen to learn is whether there will be an across-the-board lowering of tariffs, or whether a quota system will be imposed under which tariffs are low or zero, with additional charges on vehicles above that quota.
Industry executives have told the BBC they much prefer the former – as a quota could effectively put a ceiling on the number they can export competitively.
But as one executive said – a quota system would be "better than nothing".
In return, the UK may abolish or reduce the 2% digital sales tax imposed on large US ecommerce sellers like Amazon.
This was expected to raise £800 million a year and was imposed to help level the playing field for high street and smaller retailers – so a non-trivial concession if given. 
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
The UK has been desperate for a deal of this sort with the US since President Trump unleashed his wave of global tariffs. So have other countries.
It seems the UK has got there first – a significant achievement by Keir Starmer and his government.
In fact, those close to the talks have been saying for some time that the shape of a deal was basically there, but that it was never quite clear when and whether the maverick president might sign off on what his negotiating team had thrashed out.
That he has done so this week makes this a highly significant few days for UK trade, coming just two days after the full free trade agreement between the UK and India.
There’s a clear political boost for the prime minister here too: finalising the deal with India his Conservative predecessors could not reach, and coming to some sort of agreement with the US – even if it’s short of the comprehensive free trade agreement the Conservative governments talked about reaching and never managed.
And there’s a broader point too. Starmer has made a point of forging a warm relationship with Trump – warmer than many expected.
There had been growing grumblings about what dividend he was receiving for his efforts, on trade, Ukraine and any number of other issues.
Here is his answer.
Downing Street has confirmed that Keir Starmer will make an announcement about a deal with the US on tariffs later today.
A spokesperson for No 10 says the US is an "indispensable ally for both our economic and national security" and "talks on a deal between our countries have been continuing at pace".
"The prime minister will update later today," they add. 
Dharshini David
Deputy economics editor
The US remains the UK's biggest single trading partner (in terms of individual countries) – buying almost £200bn of British exports.
The UK's biggest goods exports by value last year were cars and pharmaceuticals – hence why any tariff exemptions for those areas are important.
But there are many more categories – from food to scientific equipment – which in total account for the majority of goods exports.
However, two-thirds of what the UK sells to the US is services – from advertising to banking – which are unaffected by tariffs. Yet that growing importance makes maintaining close ties key.
Overall the UK sells as much, broadly, to the US sells to the UK.
That trade balance – a far cry from the deficit of several hundred billions of dollars the US runs with China – is one reason why President Trump is amenable to talks with the UK.
Today’s expected announcement comes just days after the UK and India announced a trade deal.
That deal will make it easier for UK firms to export whisky, cars and other products to India, and will cut taxes on India’s clothing and footwear exports.
Some Indian and British workers will also gain from a three-year exemption from social security payments, which the Indian government called "an unprecedented achievement".
The exemption applies to the staff of Indian companies temporarily transferred to the UK, and to UK firms' workers transferred to India.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deal would boost the economy and "deliver for British people and business".
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, described the agreement as an historic milestone that was "ambitious and mutually beneficial".
A former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee says people shouldn't expect too much today – as Donald Trump talked of a "trade deal" instead of a "trade agreement".
"There's a big difference between a trade deal and a trade agreement," Jonathan Haskel tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"Trade deals are limited and short-term and partial, just covering a few items. Trade agreements are broad-based and long-term."
He says the deal could just be a commitment to a "short-term change of policy" – for example, a pause in certain tariffs.Dharshini David
Deputy economics editor
For all the fanfare from the American president, and the relief it may bring some sectors, this is far from what we have traditionally thought of as a trade deal.
Rather it will be a carve-out – some exemptions from some the of trade barriers that president Trump has imposed in recent weeks.
We expect there to be focus on reducing the extra tariffs areas such as the car industry and steelmakers face, and also perhaps on avoiding penalties for the pharmaceutical areas.
All of these are key areas of exports for the UK when selling to America, but they are not the only ones.
The universal 10% tariff on other items is likely to remain. This is a far cry from the kind of deal that that was being negotiated under the president’s first term.
Moreover, what is announced today is only the framework of terms of this narrow agreement, and there’ll be much work to be done on negotiations and the legal paperwork in the coming months.
But some areas remain off the table – including food standards.
Donald Trump has announced – and scaled back – a swathe of tariffs on countries around the world this year.
Currently, most goods imported from the UK to the US face a blanket 10% tariff.
The UK – like other countries – has also been hit with 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium exports to the US as well as a 25% tariff on cars and car parts.
The UK also charges tariffs on goods from the US and elsewhere – we'll have more details on that it later posts.Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
Though Donald Trump used the language of a "trade deal", this is likely to be more limited than that – a more specific deal to reduce tariffs on specific things.
From the the British side, they specifically want to reduce tariffs on British steel and cars.
From the US side, they want something on pharmaceuticals and technology.Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
The US and the UK are expected to announce a deal to reduce tariffs today.
The UK government has been seeking a deal to lower tariffs since President Trump imposed tariffs on almost every country in the world last month.
President Trump appeared to allude to the agreement when he posted on social media on Wednesday night: “Big News Conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M., The Oval Office, concerning a MAJOR TRADE DEAL WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A BIG, AND HIGHLY RESPECTED, COUNTRY. THE FIRST OF MANY!!!”
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