At times during weeks of thorny negotiations, the intense efforts of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government seemed destined to fail.

In what has been hailed by trade experts as “the biggest week for UK trade since Brexit,” the UK has struck the long-awaited trade deal with the US, just over a month after – so-called ‘Liberation Day’ – tariffs were announced.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday secured a second trade pact in three days through a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, claiming a much-needed political victory that removes a threat to some of the UK's must vulnerable industrial sectors.