18 h. ago Between ‘rollover UK’ and ‘retaliatory China’: will EU hardball secure trade deal with US?

Optimism is growing in Brussels, but high-risk strategy has only weeks to play out before pause in tariff threat endsIn Brussels’ corridors of power, quiet optimism is growing that the EU’s hardball strategy to secure a US trade deal is working. While Britain quickly moved to try to cushion the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs with a deal agreed last month – and US-Chinese relations are a tit-for-tat situation – the EU has taken a different stance. “We are positioning ourselves between ‘rollover UK’ and ‘retaliatory China’,” said a Brussels source.The stakes are not just the £706bn in transatlantic trade between the EU and US but the fallout from what diplomats and businesses say is a dangerous assault on the global rules-based system that governs western democracy. Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago Countries given Wednesday deadline for their ‘best offers’ to avoid tariffs: report

The reported letter may be a sign of Donald Trump’s eagerness — or, perhaps, desperation — to secure trade deals before his 90-day tariff pause expires on July 9

Events

6 d. ago Trade Secretary to meet US counterpart in bid to secure steel tariff exemption

The UK struck a deal with Washington for import taxes on its steel to be removed weeks ago, but its implementation has not been finalised.

Politics

8 d. ago The Guardian view on Trump’s tariffs: the courts have drawn a line. So must Congress | Editorial

The worst of all outcomes would be for US legislators to agree to strengthen the president’s executive powersIf one thing is more challenging to the rule of law than a genuine emergency, it is the invention of a phoney one. Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has upended global trade and international relations, wiping billions off the stock market in the process, by imposing tariffs that he claims are a necessary response to an emergency. Yet that emergency does not really exist, except in the manner that Mr Trump himself has created it.The president claimed, on 2 April, that a lack of reciprocity in US overseas trade arrangements was “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States”. He claimed that this justified him in declaring an emergency and governing by executive decree under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Congress, which normally has the responsibility to decide U...

Politics

2 w. ago Why you can thank Donald Trump for the rising cost of your pint of Guinness

Diageo, the drinks giant behind Guinness and Johnnie Walker, has revealed it faces a £111 million hit from US tariffs, despite the UK government having secured a trade deal with Donald Trump

Politics

3 w. ago Trump hails trade deals amid report the US will send letters to about 150 countries setting out new tariffs – US politics live

President claims he has made agreements worth more than $200bn with the UAE; US to send letters over next few weeks telling countries their new ratesUS government records reveal Latin American leaders have spent millions hiring Washington’s top lobbyists to push for a laundry list of requests – from free-trade deals, security assistance and energy investments – heard by the Trump administration, according to an analysis by the Guardian and The Quincy Institute.Since the lead-up to Donald Trump’s election as president in November 2024, Department of Justice records show that at least 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have registered their top officials and envoys as foreign principals under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (Fara). Fara aims to promote transparency by requiring those working as foreign agents to disclose their activities and compensation.Trump said that, while “150 countries” wanted to agree deals, “it’s not possible to meet the number of people that w...

Politics

3 w. ago Latin American leaders spend millions to influence Trump’s White House

El Salvador’s Bukele has scored an Oval Office Trump meeting, nuclear deal and US prison supportUS government records reveal Latin American leaders have spent millions hiring Washington’s top lobbyists to push for a laundry list of requests – from free-trade deals, security assistance and energy investments – heard by the Trump administration, according to an analysis by the Guardian and The Quincy Institute.Since the lead-up to Donald Trump’s election as president in November 2024, Department of Justice records show that at least 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have registered their top officials and envoys as foreign principals under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (Fara). Fara aims to promote transparency by requiring those working as foreign agents to disclose their activities and compensation. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Haggling on Starmer's Brexit 'reset' goes to wire: EU demands fresh concessions on youth 'free movement', fishing and taking Brussels rules to end 'sausage wars'

Keir Starmer is hoping to unveil an 'ambitious' new relationship with Ursula von der Leyen in London , boosting trade and security.

Politics

4 w. ago UK must seek to ‘rebuild’ trade relationship with EU, says Bank governor

In an interview with the BBC, the Bank’s chief suggested that the UK-US trade deal secured on Thursday could set an example globally.

Politics

last month PM vows to deliver ‘security and renewal’ as US trade deal announcement expected

US President Donald Trump teased the announcement of a trade deal with ‘highly respected country’ on social media on Wednesday evening.

Economics

last month EU capitals want retaliation against Trump delayed to avoid Nato clash

Diplomats are urging Brussels to prioritise US security relations and put contentious trade decisions on hold

Politics