London:
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has discussed “progress” on a trade deal between the UK and United States in a phone call with President Donald Trump, Downing Street said on Monday.
Late on Sunday the two leaders had a “brief discussion to update on progress made… in relation to the economic prosperity deal,” a spokesman said.
It comes amid UK media reports that the government is considering scrapping a tax on tech giants in bid to avert US tariffs under Trump.
The prime minister’s spokesman did not say whether slashing the digital services tax came up during the call, but said the UK would only strike a deal “in the national interest.”
“We will continue to make sure that businesses pay their fair share of tax, including businesses in the digital sector,” the spokesman added.
The United States is the UK’s single largest country trading partner. The two countries have invested over £1.2 trillion ($1.6 trillion) in each other’s economies.
Britain had hoped to sign a free trade accord with the United States upon leaving the European Union in 2020, but talks quickly broke down.
Officials are now thought to be discussing a much smaller deal, possibly tailored to specific industries such as technology and artificial intelligence.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)