The Prime Minister will be focused on delivering prosperity and
security for the British people, when he meets President Trump
tomorrow (Thursday 27 February) in Washington DC.
The UK and the US share a unique and historic relationship, based
on shared values and a mutual commitment to economic and defence
cooperation.
The UK and the US have one of the biggest trading relationships
of any two countries in the world, worth around 400 billion
dollars and supporting over 2.5 million jobs across both
countries.
This visit comes just days after the third anniversary of
Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Prime Minister and
President Trump share a commitment to delivering lasting peace in
Ukraine, and the Prime Minister will reiterate the UK's
commitment to securing a just and enduring peace, bringing an end
to Russia's illegal war.
The Prime Minister will be clear that there can be no
negotiations about Ukraine, without Ukraine and will recognise
the need for Europe to play its part on global defence and step
up for the good of collective European security.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister announced that defence spending
will increase to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, with an ambition to
reach 3% in the next parliament. This will drive economic growth
and create jobs across the UK, while bolstering national security
and protecting borders.
Prime Minister said:
“The world is becoming ever more dangerous, and it is more
important than ever that we are united with our allies.
“A stable economy, secure borders and national security are the
foundations of my Plan for Change, and the US-UK relationship is
integral to delivering them. These principles will be at the
heart of discussions with President Trump today.
“There are huge opportunities for us to deepen our special
relationship, deliver growth and security, and improve the lives
of working people in both our great nations.”
Both countries are world leaders in AI and advanced technologies,
and the Prime Minister will be looking to build on these strong
foundations to create jobs and economic growth.
The discussion will have a particular focus on the opportunities
that further technology and AI partnerships could deliver. These
include a proposal of high-ambition shared moonshot missions
across top technologies including quantum and AI, and a
deeper partnership on space.
The US and UK are the only two allied countries with
trillion-dollar technology eco-systems, and the Prime
Minister will make the case for further integration between the
two countries' tech sectors to make them the most efficient,
ambitious technology sectors in the world.
In October, US tech firms announced a £6.3 billion package of
investment to support UK data centres – a central pillar of the
government's plan to ramp up the country's AI capacity. In
January a further £12 billion investment from Vantage Data
Centers created over 11,500 jobs as the government published its
AI Opportunities Action Plan.
These investments represent just one facet of the deepening
science, innovation, and technology collaboration between both
countries. In AI, researchers from both sides of the Atlantic
have dedicated research exchange programmes to share knowledge
and expertise in delivering the next wave of cutting-edge
innovations that improve people's lives in areas such as
personalised care, autonomous surgeries, and cancer diagnosis –
on top of a broader AI partnership which has also been signed by
the AI Institutes of both countries.
On a visit to the West Coast at the end of last year Technology
Secretary met a range of companies to bang
the drum for further investment in the UK's technology sector.
Just two weeks ago, he also put pen to paper on a new partnership
with leading AI firm Anthropic which will explore how the
technology can be put to work to transform the public services
that UK citizens rely on, and deliver on the government's Plan
for Change.
The Prime Minister will join President Trump at the White House
on Thursday, where he will be greeted by the President before
signing the White House Guest Book and a tete a tete at the Oval
Office. This will be followed by a bilateral lunch, and a joint
press conference. He will also carry out a defence focused visit.
On arrival on Wednesday night, he will meet a select group of
CEOs from large US businesses to discuss their existing and
growing presence in the UK, and the importance of UK-US trade and
investment. He will outline the strength of the UK offer to
investors: policy stability; an active partnership with
government; an open, trading economy; and a reform agenda focused
on making it easier to do business.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by the Foreign Secretary
, who will join the Prime
Minister's programme at the White House.
