Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak all pledged to deliver a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. — and all failed. Now, less than a year into his leadership. Starmer appears to have done what they couldn’t.
Starmer has struck a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, who hailed it as a “major trade deal” and called the UK a “highly respected country.” But the fine print tells a more modest story.
Rather than the sweeping free trade agreement long promised by Brexiteers, Starmer has secured a carve-out for the UK from Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs — hefty import duties targeting cars, steel, and aluminium. Talks will continue on a broader trade pact, with major sticking points like agriculture still unresolved.
“It’s damage limitation rather than an economic boost,” said Professor Jonathan Portes of King’s College London. “It may soften the blow of the tariffs, but UK exporters will likely still face higher costs than last year.”
A History of Promises, Missed Opportunities
Theresa May was the first to chase a U.S. deal after the Brexit vote, calling it an “unprecedented opportunity” during Trump’s 2017 state visit. But Trump slammed her Brexit strategy, warning it would kill any future deal. May was ousted before talks could progress. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson found little interest from Trump, who criticised the UK’s exit deal, and even less from Joe Biden, who shelved trade talks entirely. Johnson admitted Biden had “a lot of fish to fry.” Liz Truss didn’t get far enough to try. She acknowledged before a planned Biden meeting that talks had stalled — and resigned 49 days into her term after a disastrous economic agenda. Rishi Sunak dropped hopes for a full trade agreement, instead seeking smaller sector-specific deals. With Biden focused on his re-election campaign, prospects remained dim.
What was Starmer’s Approach?
Starmer stuck with Sunak’s targeted strategy, aiming at emerging sectors like biotech and AI. But the urgency to act grew after Trump’s return and his imposition of steep tariffs. Thursday’s agreement helps defuse that trade threat. In return, Trump is expected to gain UK market access for U.S. tech firms and agricultural exports — a potential flashpoint in ongoing talks. Starmer may have delivered a win, but the post-Brexit trade promise of a wide-ranging U.S. deal remains unfulfilled.