In, Untimely Atlanticism, a note on the UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal, I outlined the inadequacy of the proposed agreement. I fear the development of an AI/Finance based economy due to its fragility, its low job creation potential, its innovation destruction capability and lack of utility to consumers. Who needs more cat memes?
In writing my response to Burnham’s Conference 26 speech, I checked out what had happened since its signing. I asked Google, “are the projects announced with the UK-US trade prosperity deal still in place” and it replied,
The major UK-US prosperity deals face partial pauses, delays, and ongoing re-negotiation rather than smooth, full implementation: [1, 2, 3]
Technology Prosperity Deal: Pledged £31 billion to £150 billion in US tech investments, this deal was paused by Washington in December 2025 due to disputes over the UK’s Digital Services Tax, agricultural food standards, and the Online Safety Act. Both sides cautiously restarted preliminary talks focused on civil nuclear and fusion projects in early 2026. [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Economic Prosperity Deal: Reached in May 2025 to provide partial tariff relief in sectors like aerospace, autos, and beef, it remains an unfinished framework. Key issues like steel quotas, digital trade rules, and non-tariff barriers are still stalled or subject to ongoing friction. [1, 8]
Pharmaceutical Arrangement: Agreed to in December 2025, this deal exempted UK pharmaceuticals from steeper US tariffs in exchange for commitments expected to increase NHS medicine spending, though some private firms have paused or redirected domestic investments due to rising business costs. [1, 4, 9]
[1] https://publications.parliament.uk
[7] https://www.theguardian.com
[8] https://publications.parliament.uk
Google also suggested looking at “One year on, the Tech Prosperity Deal has left UK more exposed to US pressure” from the Trade Justice Movement which looks at the Economic, Technology, and Pharmaceutical deals. It ends with a paragraph entitled, “Ending ‘forever negotiations’ with Trump”. They say,
“One year after the UK and US announced their Technology Prosperity Deal, “One year after the UK and US announced their Technology Prosperity Deal, our new briefing finds that the UK’s approach to negotiating with Donald Trump has delivered little certainty while leaving key areas of public policy increasingly vulnerable to US pressure.”
Taken together, they, [the three deals], show an ongoing pattern of negotiations conducted under US economic pressure …
This is part of a bigger pattern. The UK keeps negotiating in search of stability, but the stability never arrives. As soon as one negotiation ends, another demand appears. …
… the briefing calls on the new government to end the policy of “forever negotiations” and take a different approach, with clear red lines and greater democratic accountability.
This is not particularly original, there’s a lot of quotes but I first wrote about the trade deal on this blog and so have posted this follow up here too. I like to quote people who substantiate my polemics. The bottom line is that the UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal was in my mind never going to deliver much to the UK, and time has proved me right.
I finished last year’s article, with the phrase,
…In IT, as in defence, the UK’s future is becoming a choice between the USA and the European Union; this treaty is just another piece of untimely Atlanticism, …
