The New U.S.–U.K. Trade Deal: Major Problems Remain
The new U.S.-U.K. trade deal offers a few good elements for the United States, but major problems remain, especially affecting innovative American big-tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta.
The Good:
President Trump and Prime Minister Starmer have unveiled a new U.S.–U.K. trade deal.
Wins for the United States include tariff reductions, faster customs processing, and billions in new export opportunities for U.S. beef and ethanol.
The Bad:
Serious threats to U.S. businesses remain untouched.
Most notably, the U.K.’s Digital Services Tax (DST) still stands—a discriminatory policy targeting successful American tech firms like Amazon, Google, and Meta.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer (DMCC) Bill, designed to restrict and break up large U.S. companies, was ignored entirely.
A Growing Concern:
EU digital rules already cost U.S. companies $2.2 billion annually in compliance alone—and more in fines.
The U.K. is following the same playbook, imposing anti-innovation, anti-American policies with no pushback in the trade deal.
The Bottom Line:
This agreement fails to defend American innovation. Most notably, the DST will continue to siphon money from large tech companies that could otherwise use the funds for R&D and other domestic benefits. Without tackling biased regulations and targeted taxes, the U.S.-U.K. trade deal falls short.
That’s why the Trade Alliance to Promote Prosperity is calling for more work to be done. The work on a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement is not complete until the injustices are eliminated.