Trump and Starmer forge £150bn US tech investment deal

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump during a bilateral meeting at Chequers (PA) Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror

Donald Trump described an "unbreakable bond" between the United States and United Kingdom during his meeting with Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) at Chequers. The US President called the transatlantic relationship "priceless" as both leaders held talks at the Prime Minister's country retreat.

Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the occasion as "a great day for the special relationship" whilst meeting with business chiefs. The Prime Minister emphasised that UK-US ties represent "the very foundation of our security, our freedom and our prosperity".

Technology partnership agreement

The leaders signed a technology prosperity deal promising significant investment from US tech firms to develop Britain's artificial intelligence capabilities. Starmer highlighted the prospect of approximately £150 billion flowing into the UK from major American companies including Blackstone and Palantir.

Trump stressed the strategic importance of the partnership for global technology leadership. "This agreement will also help America and our British allies dominate the future of artificial intelligence," he said.

Nuclear power collaboration

Both countries agreed on closer collaboration in nuclear power development, with Trump noting that AI data centres "need a lot of electricity". The US President claimed America is "leading China and the world by a lot" on artificial intelligence development.

UK's global position

Starmer outlined Britain's technological strengths during what he described as Trump's "unprecedented second state visit". "The UK is one of the world's largest economies, maybe not quite on the scale of the United States, I concede, but my word, we punch above our weight, and we lead the world in expertise on quantum, on AI, life sciences, financial services and more," he said.

"We have the only trillion-dollar tech sector in the West, outside of the US, again, I caveat," the Prime Minister added. He described the technology deal as "a celebration of what has gone before, of course, but more than that, a moment to deliver investments, jobs and deals which will improve people's lives now and light up the special relationship for years to come".

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.