The United States and Britain are set to announce agreements on technology and civil nuclear energy during U.S. President Donald Trump’s unprecedented second state visit this week. The UK hopes to finalize steel tariffs as part of a much-vaunted trade deal.
President Trump and his wife, Melania, will be treated to a display of British royal pageantry on Wednesday, including a carriage tour, a state banquet, a military flypast, and a gun salute. The British government hopes that the soft power of the royals will appeal to Trump as it seeks to forge tighter defense, security, and energy ties with Washington.
Starmer Hopes to Seal Lower Tariff Rates
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Trump at his Chequers country residence on Thursday to discuss working more closely together on issues like Ukraine, with the aim of finalizing promised lower tariffs for steel and aluminum.
A spokesperson for Starmer said the leaders would sign “a world-leading tech partnership.” The two countries will also sign multi-billion dollar deals to develop small nuclear projects, which could in some cases help power new AI data centers.
“The UK-U.S. relationship is the strongest in the world,” Starmer’s spokesperson told reporters. “This week we are delivering a step change in that relationship.”
Starmer, a technocrat and a self-proclaimed socialist, and Trump, a proudly unpredictable politician, have overcome their differences to develop a good working relationship. Starmer was the first world leader to agree on an economic deal with Trump to reduce his global tariffs. Under that agreement, the United States planned to reduce tariffs on imports of cars and aluminum and steel. While details on car tariffs were agreed upon in June, the deal for steel and aluminum is yet to be finalized.
