UK PM Starmer confident US deal will be implemented before tariff deadline

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday he was confident that tariffs on U.S. imports of British steel would be reduced to zero within a "couple of weeks", avoiding a July deadline which could see the levies jump to 50%. Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump last month agreed a tariff relief deal that cuts levies on steel, aluminium and car imports to the United States, in return for tariff reductions on beef and ethanol, but it has yet to be implemented. On Tuesday Britain avoided a 50% tariff introduced by Trump on steel imports to the U.S., with the tariff staying at the current 25% pending the implementation of the bilateral deal.