Michael Simmons Michael Simmons

Can Rachel Reeves woo Trump’s team – without alienating the EU?

The Chancellor in Washington (Getty images)

The government is on a charm offensive in Washington. Tonight, Britain’s ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, will host officials from Donald Trump’s government and American business figures at the British embassy. Tomorrow, the Chancellor will meet her counterpart, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Rachel Reeves is looking to permanently end the punishing 25 per cent tariff on British cars and 10 per levy on other exports.

Reeves has given an interview to one of Trump’s favourite channels, Newsmax, in which she was asked about her upcoming meeting with Bessent. In response, Reeves said she believed ‘there was a deal to be done’ and that both Keir Starmer’s and Trump’s governments were elected on a strongly held belief that ‘our economies were not working for working people, and [that] it does matter where things are made and who made them’.

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