Chris Mason: Tariffs deal a triumph for Starmer - up to a point
This had all the hallmarks of Trumpian political theatrics.In the Canadian sunshine here in the Rockies at the G7 summit, President Trump emerged from a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer brandishing a folder.Within it was the deal US and UK officials have been putting together to flesh out a tariffs agreement struck last month.Alas, Trump's papers broke free and tumbled to the tarmac.The prime minister was quick to bend down to pick them up.Amid the tariff turbulence coming from the White House, this is a triumph - up to a point - for Downing Street.The aerospace industry will see tariffs removed completely and there will be a 10% levy on the car industry.Twice in the last couple of months the prime minister has dashed to Jaguar Land Rover's plant in Solihull in the West Midlands - first, when huge tariffs were imposed, and then again when it looked like something of a reprieve could be imminent.There is no doubt there was deep concern in the region and in government that, unless a deal was done, the job losses could be significant.The expectation is this deal will prevent that.There is one wrinkle: while UK government officials point out that Britain is the only country to be exempt from the global tariff of 50% on steel and aluminium, a 25% tariff remains.Negotiations to remove this continue.I am told it is over a technicality of being able to prove that steel has been made in the UK, rather than imported and merely tweaked – and this is harder than it may seem.There is also a deal for reciprocal access to 13,000 metric tonnes of beef being sold each way – meaning British farmers can export beef to the US.Officials insist there has been no change to the UK's food safety standards in making this happen.Taking a step back, this isn't the full fat US-UK trade deal some once envisioned - and, as ever with President Trump, it has been reached in a rather unorthodox way.But, amid his domestic political woes, it is an achievement for the prime minister on the international stage that few other leaders can boast of.
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