UK Politics

The UK may be on the brink of agreeing a new trade deal with the US after nearly five years of negotiations.The previous government began discussions for a free trade agreement in May 2020 with then-president Joe Biden’s administration. Now, vice-president JD Vance has said that there is a “good chance” a deal could be reached between the two countries, as the world reels from the global trade war prompted by Donald Trump’s tariffs.The UK has received the lowest possible tariff rate, with 10 per cent taxes applied on exports to the United States, which Mr Vance has said was partly due to America’s “cultural affinity” with Britain. What could a trade deal look like? Sir Keir Starmer’s government has made no pretence over the fact that it is not looking for a traditional comprehensive trade deal. Instead, it is pushing for an agreement based around the growth of “future” industries, such as biotech, new pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence.The proposal is that the UK and US research base, coupled with the money markets in New York and London, would create a powerhouse for the latest industrial revolution, which could shape the future of the world.The US largely embraces this idea, but there are caveats, and the negotiations have been complicated by President Trump’s tariffs.In February, prime minister Keir Starmer met with US president Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance More

Sir Keir Starmer must embrace Donald Trump’s agenda by repealing hate speech laws in order to get a trade deal over the line, sources close to JD Vance have told The Independent.The warning came after the US vice-president suggested a UK-US agreement may be close, with the White House “working very hard” on it.He told UnHerd: “I think there’s a good chance that, yes, we’ll come to a great agreement that’s in the best interest of both countries.”But allies of Mr Vance say he is “obsessed by the fall of Western civilisation” – including his view that free speech is being eroded in Britain – and that he will demand the Labour government rolls back laws against hateful comments, including abuse targeting LGBT+ groups or other minorities, as a condition of any deal.The Independent was told: “The vice-president expressing optimism [on a trade deal] is a way of putting further pressure on the UK over free speech. If a deal does not go through, it makes Labour look bad.”US vice-president JD Vance said the administration was ‘working very hard’ to negotiate a trade deal with the UK More

Watch as Nigel Farage makes a Reform UK campaign speech in County Durham on Tuesday, 15 April, ahead of May’s local elections.Voters in 23 local authorities in England go to the polls on 1 May to choose new councillors.Reform is standing more candidates in next month’s local elections than either Labour or the Conservatives – though no party has managed to find enough people to contest every seat.It is the first ballot box test for political parties since Labour won the 2024 general election.A total of 1,641 council seats across the 23 authorities are up for grabs.According to PA news agency analysis of nomination data published by local authorities, Reform is standing 1,631 candidates — meaning the party is contesting 99.4 per cent of seats.The Conservatives have 1,596 candidates (97.3 per cent of seats) and Labour has 1,543 (94.0 per cent).The Liberal Democrats have 1,396 candidates (85.1 per cent), and the Greens have 1,183 (72.1 per cent). More

JD Vance has said the US is trying to secure a “great” trade deal with the UK as Donald Trump’s tariffs heighten global trade tensions. The vice president said Mr Trump is “working very hard” on an agreement with Britain that could see damaging import taxes eased or lifted. His remarks are a boost to Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, with Mr Trump’s trade war threatening to wipe out economic growth and force Labour into further spending cuts or tax hikes in the autumn budget. It comes after senior Trump adviser Kevin Hassett last week said deals with two countries, thought to be the UK and Australia, were close.British officials fear a 10 per cent universal tariff levied by the US president could be a permanent feature under his administration. But they are hopeful a trade deal could see the 25 per cent tariffs on steel, aluminium and automotive imports lifted or slashed. US vice president JD Vance said the US is working on a trade deal with the UK More

Hackers have targeted the leader of the House of Commons’s social media account promoting the launch of a bogus House of Commons crypto coin. A link posted to Labour MP Lucy Powell’s X account called for investors in a so-called “$HOC” House of Commons coin, alongside the House of Commons logo.“House of Commons official crypto coin is now live!” a post from Ms Powell’s official account read. Lucy Powell’s X account was hacked to promote a fake cryptocurrency More

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a marked difference between the effusive and slightly over-the-top kind words Donald Trump has used about Keir Starmer and the appalling things his key supporters have been saying about the prime minister. This, along with the contemptuous briefings against him and his government.But over the last weeks, all has become crystal clear about the mafia boss-style game Trump is using in his relations with his beloved UK – the land of his mother. And his political heavy JD “knuckle dusters” Vance is a big part of that strategy.This is the context in which Vance’s latest optimistic comments on a free trade deal between the UK and US need to be considered.The vice president told Unherd: “We’re certainly working very hard with Keir Starmer’s government.Trump and Starmer hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington DC More

Watch as David Lammy speaks at a conference on Sudan on Tuesday, 15 April, as the UK government announces a £120m food and aid package for the country.The foreign secretary addressed a gathering at the London Sudan Conference.The UK co-hosted the gathering alongside the 55-member African Union bloc, the European Union, France and Germany, attended by representatives from other states including South Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the US.Mr Lammy has described the war in Sudan, which is in its second year, as “brutal.”Fighting started in April 2023 with armed clashes between the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary organisation and the Sudanese Armed Forces.More than 12.7 million people have been forcibly displaced in the war, with 1.1 million moving into South Sudan and 1.5 million into Egypt, according to United Nations (UN) agencies.The new £120m funding is for the 2025/26 financial year and aims to reach more than 600,000 people.Money will go towards supplying people, including vulnerable children, with pulses, oils, salts and cereals.Funding will also help provide emergency support for survivors of sexual violence.It comes after a separate £113m aid package announced last November, before Labour’s decision to cut UK development spending from 0.5 per cent of GNI (gross national income) to 0.3 per cent by 2027. More

The government has awarded a contract which allows for hotels and barges to house asylum seekers up until September 2027, despite Labour vowing to end the practice.The wide ranging agreement – which covers transport, accommodation and venue bookings for the public sector – includes services for asylum seekers, released prisoners and rough sleepers. The transparency document, seen by The Independent, says it includes the provision of commercial accommodation including hotels, serviced apartments, holiday parks, staff blocks, halls of residence, barges and cruise vessels. There were 38,079 people being accommodated in hotels by the Home Office at the end of 2024, figures show (Gareth Fuller/PA) More