Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has admitted he is “disappointed” Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on the UK.
He told LBC: “No country in the world has been exempted from the initial decisions, and that’s a decision that the President clearly wanted to take.
“We have, I believe, the prospect of a really significant and interesting and relevant set of agreements that we could put in place to do that.
“Now, the warmth on the US side has been there.
“You know, I’m not happy. I’m disappointed with the decisions that have been taken, but I can’t fault the engagement and the good faith from our counterparts on the US side, from the Commerce Secretary, from the US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer.
“So look, I believe we’ve got the basis to do that. Some of this is down to the US. I mean, they’re the driving force behind these decisions.
“This is something the President has been committed to, to be frank, for decades, well before he was a politician in the US. So we knew this was part of it.
“We’ve engaged in good faith with them, and I do believe progress is possible.”
