Britain will not rush into a trade deal with the United States or change its food or car safety standards, Rachel Reeves, the British chancellor of the Exchequer, said in Washington on Wednesday.
When asked about reports that the Trump administration wanted Britain to lower its tariffs on cars to 2.5 percent from 10 percent, Ms. Reeves said only that she wanted to reduce trade barriers between Britain and other countries.
The British government has been pursuing a U.S. trade deal as it hopes to soften the economic blow British businesses are facing from higher tariffs imposed by President Trump on goods imported into the United States. Dozens of countries have lined up to negotiate with the Trump administration, but Ms. Reeves did not give any timeline for when an agreement would be brokered.
Speaking with reporters ahead of her first in-person meeting with Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, Ms. Reeves said there were firm lines the government would not cross in its negotiations, such as changing food standards that would allow hormone-treated beef to be imported into Britain or compromising on car safety rules that protect pedestrians and cyclists. For U.S. officials, increasing exports of agricultural products and American cars has long been a sticking point in trade negotiations.
“These are discussions around tariffs and trade barriers, but we are not going to be changing our standards based on asks from foreign governments,” Ms. Reeves said. “Decisions around food standards, around digital services, around auto standards are decisions for the U.K. government to make.”
Discussions with Mr. Bessent would instead be about building a partnership focused on technology.
Ms. Reeves said that the Trump administration was right, in some respects, to call out the need for “fair” trade practices.
“I believe in free trade, but it also has to be fair trade,” she said. “And that’s where the U.S. does have an important point around some of the global imbalances that have built up in the global economy.”
On Wednesday, Ms. Reeves said the British government would take action to avoid cheap goods being dumped into the country, a concern shared by European officials. The British government will review the customs rule that allows goods valued up to 135 pounds ($180) to be imported without having to pay a duty. The move is intended to support retailers who say they are being undercut by fast-fashion businesses like the Chinese company Shein that send cheaper packages directly to customers.
It mirrors an executive order Mr. Trump had issued to end the so-called de minimis exemption, a loophole that allowed retailers to send clothes and other goods valued at $800 or less from China directly to American shoppers without having to pay tariffs.
