Cabinet opened with an update on business in the House including
the introduction of the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence
Reports) Bill today, alongside the Sentencing Council
suspending the introduction of their guidelines, and further
progress on the Bus Services and Mental Health Bills this week.
The Prime Minister said the Organised Immigration Crime Summit
that he and the Home Secretary hosted yesterday was the largest
of its kind with over 40 countries up and down the people
smuggling routes represented, demonstrating the importance of
joined up action to tackle illegal migration.
The Prime Minister then turned to US tariffs and trade. He set
out the latest position to Cabinet on the announced US plans on
steel, aluminium, and automotive tariffs, with further details of
‘reciprocal' global tariffs expected this week. He said the UK's
approach is to progress ongoing talks with the US on an economic
deal, which are at an advanced stage, while keeping all options
on the table. He said a calm and pragmatic approach best served
UK national interests, not a knee-jerk reaction. The UK has a
balanced trading relationship with the US, supporting millions of
jobs both sides of the Atlantic, as well as a deeply important
security and defence relationship. He said nobody wants to see
global tariffs, but the UK would continue negotiations, continue
engaging with British industries, prepare for all scenarios, and
double down on delivering a modern industrial strategy that
supports jobs and grows the economy.
The Chancellor said that global tariffs will have an impact on
the UK as an open trading economy, that securing a deal could
mitigate some of those effects, and updated on discussions she
had with the US Treasury yesterday.
The Business Secretary updated on the progress of his discussions
in recent days and weeks, and said that the UK was well placed to
agree an economic deal with the US and that those talks would
continue beyond tomorrow's announcement. He underlined that the
business community wants to see the government take a calm,
cool-headed, and pragmatic approach to discussions with the US,
and that would guide our approach.
