Keir Starmer admitted finalising the US trade deal could take weeks today after the steel industry was spared from Donald Trump's latest trade war salvo.
The US president is offering 'different treatment' to Britain after doubling tariffs on imports from other countries to 50 per cent.
However, levies on UK steel and aluminium will remain at 25 per cent, as a Transatlantic trade agreement heralded by the PM last month has still not been finalised. That is meant to create quotas to exempt most of the exports altogether.
The White House has threatened that charges could still be ramped up to 50 per cent if it deems Sir Keir has not 'complied' with the broad terms of the pact.
At PMQs this lunchtime, the premier insisted he is 'working on' implementing the deal - which was announced on May 9 - but suggested it could take a 'couple of weeks'.
