Trade deal platform for going further - Mandelson

Lord Mandelson has hailed this week's UK-US commercialized woody a "platform for going further and opening up much commercialized opportunities", successful his archetypal interrogation taking up his relation arsenic the UK's ambassador to the US.

The woody has reduced oregon removed tariffs that were precocious impposed by US President Donald Trump connected immoderate of his nation's imports from the UK, including cars, alloy and aluminium.

Former New Labour furniture subordinate Lord Mandelson has played a important relation successful negotiations betwixt the 2 nations since helium started his occupation successful February.

Speaking to BBC Two's Newsnight helium said helium was "looking forward" to further agreements to bring "down further tariffs".

On Donald Trump's self-declared Liberation Day successful aboriginal April helium announced that the UK would beryllium taxable to 10% tariffs connected the each the goods it exports to the US. More stringent measures were aboriginal applied to cars, alloy and aluminium.

But connected Thursday, the US agreed to let immoderate alloy and aluminium into the state tariff-free, and reduced the levies connected a acceptable fig of British cars.

Since then, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmerhas said determination are "ongoing discussions" with the US implicit the UK's ain Digital Services Tax (DST) - a 2% levy that raises astir £800m a twelvemonth chiefly from US tech companies.

Lord Mandelson said it was discussed during the latest circular of negotiations betwixt the 2 nations but helium said "abolishing" the DST had not been portion of the commercialized deal.

"If the Americans privation to travel backmost and sermon the integer services tax, it's up to them," helium said.

"What they suggested wasn't acceptable to us, truthful it's not successful the deal," helium explained.

White House commercialized advisor Peter Navarro said connected Thursday that President Trump's medication was inactive pressing the UK to assistance the tax, referring to it arsenic a "bad virus".

He told reporters astatine the White House: "We're inactive successful negotiations...that's a precise large woody to President Trump."

When asked by Newsnight's Matt Chorley astir his observations connected the narration betwixt Starmer and Trump, the ambassador said that portion they were "not chopped from the aforesaid cloth... they bash some basal up for and support their nationalist interests".

He continued: "And wherever they spot those interests converging oregon whether they've got to beryllium made to enactment well, they acceptable their minds to achieving that, and they bash it precise well.

"They bash it by talking good to each other, precise straightforwardly. They person spot successful 1 another."

Lod Mandelson explained that this makes Starmer a premier curate "who's going to basal up for Britain internationally, who's going decently to explicate and support our nationalist interest... [and] support bully relationships" with adjacent allies.

He said that pursuing the UK-US deal, helium had received "a batch of messages from chap ambassadors present successful Washington saying, 'congratulations, privation we were successful the aforesaid position, however did you bash it?'"

He added: "So that's something, that's a feather successful our caps and thing you and others, if I mightiness suggest, should celebrate."

On his ain narration with the US president, Lord Mandelson said erstwhile helium archetypal walked into the Oval Office, Trump said "God, you're a bully looking fellow, aren't you?".

The ambassador described Trump arsenic a "people person" who takes radical astatine "face value", explaining that the president judged him connected his merits.