US (Parliament Politics Magazine) – US Vice President JD Vance warns no trade deal unless UK repeals hate speech laws, urging Starmer to back Trump’s free speech stance to secure US-UK agreement.
As reported by The Independent, insiders close to JD Vance revealed that he said Sir Keir Starmer must adopt Trump’s stance and scrap hate speech laws to finalise a trade deal.
What did JD Vance say about the UK trade deal?
The pressure came after the US vice president hinted that a UK-US trade deal is close, saying the White House is ‘working very hard’ on the agreement.
During an appearance on UnHerd, he said,
“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.”
The sources close to Mr Vance stated,
“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.”
In his recent speech to the Heritage Foundation, he highlighted his belief that Western culture and free speech must be central to reaching a trade agreement.
The insider close to the vice-president said, “No free speech, no deal. It is as simple as that.”
Mr Vance expressed confidence in the trade discussions during his interview with UnHerd.
He stated,
“We’re certainly working very hard with Keir Starmer’s government,”
adding,
“The president really loves the United Kingdom. He loved the Queen. He admires and loves the King. It is a very important relationship. And he’s a businessman and has a number of important business relationships in [Britain]. But I think it’s much deeper than that.”
The vice president added,
“There’s a real cultural affinity. And, of course, fundamentally, America is an Anglo country.”
Britain suggests removing the digital services tax, but the US insists on repealing hate speech laws and dropping online safety plans for trade talks.
What did Jonathan Reynolds say about the US tariff approach?
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds expressed his disagreement with Trump’s tariff strategy but highlighted the need to reconsider trade fairness on a global scale.
He stated,
“I don’t support the kind of approach to unilateral tariffs that the US has pursued. We’ve made that very clear to our US friends and colleagues, but there are issues as to how parts of trading works around the word, and there is a need to look at how we can do that fairly: how we can consider where in some cases countries are not operating to the same rules that we might expect here in the UK?”
How did Sir Keir’s visit to Trump influence UK-US trade talks?
After Keir Starmer met with Mr. Trump at the White House last month, US-UK trade talks gained urgency with the recent tariff announcement. Tariffs are currently on hold for 90 days, but there’s optimism that an agreement can be finalised before they are enforced.
Number 10 seeks a deal that focuses on emerging industries, such as biotech and AI, for future growth.
Howard Lutnick, Trump’s trade secretary, is playing a leading role in discussions with Jonathan Reynolds, while Mr Vance was appointed to lead the overall trade agreement.
How has the UK responded to Trump’s tariff?
Sir Keir Starmer responded to Trump’s “Liberation Day” remarks by stating the UK will move forward with its economic plan after failing to secure a tariff exemption from the US.
He pledged future decisions
“will be guided only by our national interest, in the interests of our economy, in the interests of businesses around this table, in the interests of putting money in the pockets of working people.”
Mr Starmer added,
“Clearly, there will be an economic impact from the decisions the US has taken, both here and globally. But I want to be crystal clear: we are prepared, indeed one of the great strengths of this nation is our ability to keep a cool head.”
Key US tariff measures under Trump’s trade policy
- 25% duty on all foreign-made cars entering the US.
- Car parts are expected to face the same 25% tariff in May.
- 25% tax on goods from countries buying oil/gas from Venezuela.
- 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminium.
- Chinese imports were taxed at 10%, later raised to 20%.
- 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada – paused but may resume on April 3.