Trump: breakthrough agreement reached with Uk, great for both nations. Starmer: historic day

"Reaching a breakthrough agreement with the UK is great for both nations." US President Donald Trump said this. With the agreement, the UK will give greater access to US meat and ethanol and non-tariff barriers will be reduced. In addition, 'the US and UK will work together on steel'. Trump said he wanted to 'thank Prime Minister Keir Starmer', calling him 'outstanding' and stating that the two countries have a 'great relationship'. Trump stated that 'the final details are being drafted', but that 'almost everything has been approved'.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also called the announcement by his US counterpart Donald Trump of a US-British trade agreement 'a historic day'. An announcement that the British PM compared to Winston Churchill's 'Victory in Europe exactly 80 years ago'. The UK-US deal will 'save thousands of British jobs', the PM said speaking at a factory in the West Midlands in England after the phone call with the US president. Joining Trump in the Oval Office was Lord Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the US, who spoke of a future 'technological partnership' between the two countries and closer cooperation also in science.

According to the US president, the deal will bring $5 billion in new export opportunities for US farmers, ranchers and producers, particularly in the beef and ethanol sectors. Trump also predicted $6 billion in revenue from the universal 10% duty that will remain on the UK despite the deal.

The statements came while Trump was still in telephone contact with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who in turn called the agreement an important step but warned that 'details remain to be worked out' before full finalisation.

European stock exchanges rose on the closing day, driven by the bet that an agreement will soon be reached on the tariff front between the US and the rest of the world, including China. Fostering optimism was the agreement reached between the US and Great Britain just announced by Trump. Talks between China and the US are also expected to take place in Switzerland in the coming days. Europe, meanwhile, has prepared countermeasures for around 100 billion in the event that no agreement is found to remove the US duties announced on 2 April and subsequently frozen for three months. On the central bank front, if yesterday the Federal Reserve left the cost of money unchanged, today the British Central Bank decided to cut rates by 0.25%. Milan was the best with the Ftse Mib up 1.72%. The spread dropped to 105 points.