UK ‘ready to work’ with US on tariffs as EU warns of response: UK politics live

The UK appears not to have signed a leaders’ declaration at the climax of the AI Action Summit in Paris.

There had been reports that the UK would not sign the declaration after the US reportedly raised concerns about the wording, which is said to include references to “sustainable and inclusive AI”.

Downing Street would not comment on “live” discussions in Paris as reports from the summit indicated the UK and US refused to back the statement.

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MPs who previously supported the assisted dying bill have announced that they will change their vote after a major safeguard was ditched in the proposed legislation.

Political editor David Maddox reports:

Downing Street declined to say whether Donald Trump is wrong to impose 25 per cent tariffs on British steel exports.

Asked if the US President’s decision was wrong, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman replied: “We will take a considered approach to this. We will engage with the US on the detail, but the Government is clear we will work in our national interest and this issue is no different to that.”

The spokesman said he was not going to “get ahead of those conversations with industry” when asked if the UK was prepared to enact retaliatory tariffs.

No 10 would not reveal if discussions with the US involved the UK asking Mr Trump’s Government to exclude Britain from the tariffs, and would not say if subsidies for the company British Steel could be introduced.

He added: “We’ve already provided significant support to the UK steel industry: £2.5 billion of investment in the sector, we are bringing forward a British industry supercharger which is cutting electricity costs for steel firms and bringing prices in line with international competitors.”

A shadow trade minister has called this moment one of “great peril” for the UK steel industry, accusing the government of failing to engage “with gusto” with the new US administration.

Dame Harriett Baldwin told the Commons: “The United States is our greatest ally and our greatest single trading partner. The UK and the United States are the biggest investors in each other’s economies and yet this is a moment of great peril for the UK steel industry because the Government has failed to engage with gusto with the new US administration.

“The Prime Minister, despite his many airmiles, has not got on a flight to the States at the first possible opportunity and years of student politic-style insults hurled at the president by the frontbench opposite have put our relationship in jeopardy – and that’s before the embarrassment of the Chagos Islands shows that we have terrible negotiators running the country.”

Dame Harriett pressed the Government on work to secure a trade deal with the US, saying: “Much of the work was done by his department the last time President Trump was in the White House so will the minister finally set out to this House what plans the Government has to obtain a big, beautiful free trade agreement with the United States?”

Trade minister Douglas Alexander replied: “First, on the big, beautiful deal that they contemplated and abjectly failed to secure, I would simply observe that that was one of a whole number of trade deals that they boast about but abjectly failed to deliver.”

On engagement with US officials, Mr Alexander noted the relevant representatives have yet to be confirmed in their positions and said the UK “stands ready to have an engagement with the incoming administration once we’re in a position to do so”.

Trade minister Douglas Alexander said British industry needs a “cool and clear-headed” response rather than a “knee-jerk” reaction to moves by the United States to impose 25 per cent tariffs on British steel exports.

Responding to an urgent question, Mr Alexander told the Commons: “We have seen the proclamation issued by President Trump overnight which enforces a full return to 25 per cent tariffs on US steel imports on March 12 2025.

“Only details on steel have so far been published by the United States, not on aluminium. The intended effect of this proclamation is to revoke existing arrangements that have avoided these tariffs, such as the UK-US resolution, as well as any separately agreed product exclusions from the tariffs.

“What British industry needs and deserves is not a knee-jerk reaction but a cool and clear-headed sense of the UK’s national interest based on a full assessment of all the implications of the US’s actions.”

Trade minister Douglas Alexander said the UK “stands ready” to find solutions that work for both countries.

He said meetings will be held with representatives of the steel industry and trade union on Tuesday afternoon, adding in the Commons: “The Secretary of State for Business and Trade is in touch with representatives of the British steel industry and will be meeting them within the next 24 hours.

“Since July we have engaged in a systematic way with the UK steel sector and we will continue to engage with UK industries impacted by potential tariffs.

“Historically we’ve benefited from a strong and balanced trade relationship with the United States worth around £300 billion and supporting millions of jobs, so in trade policy we stand ready to work with President Trump to find solutions that work for both the United Kingdom and the United States.”

Kemi Badenoch has ruled out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK, as Nigel Farage’s party tops a number of national polls and surpasses 200,000 members.

The Conservative party leader called the idea of striking a deal one “for the birds”, warning Reform would drive away Tory voters who did not want to see her “get into bed” with Farage.

Every morning, Keir Starmer wakes up to discover if Donald Trump has put another potential bomb under the already faltering UK economy.

On Monday he had – with the announcement that he would impose tariffs of 25 per cent on steel imports.

The British steel industry has since called for action to mitigate what could be a “devastating blow”.

A global trade war could also see an influx of cheaper imports that could put British suppliers out of business.

At the same time the PM has come under sustained fire from the President’s ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk, including on Monday over the UK government’s attitude to the data of Apple users.

And, as The Independent revealed last month, President Trump was even considering rejecting our new man in Washington Peter Mandelson.

In this context, the description of the special relationship as “very good”, while clearly an attempt at diplomacy, could be described as a statement of hope rather than expectation.

The UK government has claimed Britain’s special relationship with the US is “very good” despite Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs in his latest move in an escalating trade war.

As the new US president’s 25 per cent tariff on steel is set to hit the UK, a Downing Street spokesperson told reporters today: “We fully expect that relationship to continue to go from strength to strength.”

When asked how the special relationship would now be characterised, they said: “The special relationship, it’s very good. We have a wide range of areas where we’re working closely with the United States and the prime minister’s had very good early engagement with President Trump.”

Newly proposed changes to the assisted dying bill have caused controversy as MPs weigh up whether they will continue supporting the legislation at the final vote.

Put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who tabled the original bill, the changes would reform a major safeguarding measure that was included in the original version.

Ms Leadbeater says her amendment would make the bill “even more robust,” but others have responded critically. Veteran member Diane Abbott, a vocal opponent of the legislation, wrote on X: “Safeguards on the Assisted Dying Bill are collapsing. Rushed, badly thought-out legislation. Needs to be voted down.”

Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron added: “Lots of MPs voted for the bill at second reading in the expectation that there would be stronger safeguards added at committee stage and yet we now see that even the weak safeguards that existed, are being dropped.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the changes: