No. 10 has previously said it is aiming for “moonshot missions” in AI, quantum and space. The document remains vague on these missions, talking about collaboration on R&D, talent and procurement as an initial phase of the partnership.
Britain’s pitch notably avoids mention of thorny issues like tariffs and regulation for now. But tariffs could come to a head as soon as Wednesday, when 25 percent steel and aluminum tariffs come into effect. U.K. negotiators are pressing for a last-minute exemption.
The pitch also echoes some of the Atlantic Declaration, an agreement which the countries’ former leaders, Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden, signed in June 2023. That pact resolved to “to partner to build resilient, diversified, and secure supply chains and reduce strategic dependencies.”
But the latest document, which officials hope will pave the way for a deal this year, is far narrower and more tailored to Trump; gone is talk of working together on clean energy or health, which was in the Atlantic Declaration.
The language should please key figures in and close to the U.S. administration who have spoken about Western democracies needing to win the tech race, including Vice President JD Vance, Palantir chief executive Alex Karp, and Scale AI’s managing director Michael Kratsios, who is joining the White House as director of science and technology policy.
Mandelson’s connections
After meeting Starmer last month, Trump said that there was a “very good chance” of the U.K. and U.S. agreeing a deal. It is a priority for Britain’s ambassador to Washington D.C. Peter Mandelson, who is referring to the deal as “MEGA” (Make our Economies Great Again).