THIS is the moment Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have held an historic phone call between Britain and the Oval Office.
The PM spoke to the President on the phone during a visit to the West Midlands on Thursday as the pair hailed a trade deal.
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Trump, meanwhile, was in the Oval Office flanked by some of his key staff and surrounded by reporters.
Also stood behind him was the UK’s Ambassador, Peter Mandelson, who shook Trump’s hand during the call.
Trump revealed a “full and comprehensive” trade deal with Britain today – and hailed an “exciting day” for the two countries, calling it his “first” post-tariff war trade triumph.
The leader of the United Stated also highlighted how it is a “special day” because it is 80 years since Victory in Europe Day.
Trump paid tribute to Starmer and his “very talented team for their outstanding work and partnership”.
“Today’s agreement with the UK is the first in a series of agreements on trade that my administration has been negotiating over the past four weeks,” he said.
“With this deal, the UK joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade.”
The US President also suggested the UK will be “fast-tracking American goods through their customs process”, he said, and “there won’t be any red tape”.
He added: “The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol, and virtually all the products produced by our great farmers.”
He praised the UK as “one of the greatest” allies of the States and said the country “is right at the top – they’re the first one we’re talking about”.
The US President said he wants to “thank prime minister Starmer”, calling him “terrific” and saying the two countries have a “great relationship”.
Trump added how the “bond between our two countries will soon be stronger than ever before”.
Sir Keir Starmer praised the deal as “hugely important for sectors like car manufacturing and steel”.
He paid tribute to the US president’s negotiating team, saying they did “an incredible job, a very professional job”.
“This is going to boost trade, between, and across our countries,” the PM said.
“It’s going to not only protect jobs, but create jobs., opening market access.”
Starmer said the timing of this deal “couldn’t be more apt”, and referenced VE Day 80 years ago today.
He said: “To be able to announce this great deal on the same day, 80 years forward, almost at the same hour – and as we were 80 years ago with the UK, the US standing side by side – I think is incredibly important and makes this truly historic.”
The PM echoed Trump’s previous statements and said “we’ve always had a fair, balanced arrangement between our countries”.
He continued: “This builds on that. Hugely important for sectors like car manufacturing., and for steel and aluminium and so many others.
“And yes, we can finish ironing out some of the details, but there’s a fantastic platform here, including, of course, on the tech side.
“I’m so pleased that we got this deal, we’ve finalised it. And we’ve built an incredible platform for the future.”
UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, said afterwards: “Thank you very much indeed for that very typical eleventh hour intervention by you – your phone call to the PM – demanding even more out of this deal than any of us expected.
“But you took it to another level”, he added.
Mandelson continued: “You said to the prime minister when he came, and we visited the Oval [Office] that you would do a good trade deal with the United Kingdom, that you would do it at pace and that we would be first, and you have delivered that.”
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