Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced a landmark £250 billion ($338.8 billion) investment agreement between the US and UK, calling it the largest of its kind in British history.
Speaking at a business reception at Chequers, Starmer said the deal will create 15,000 jobs across the country, including in Belfast, Birmingham, Hartlepool, and the Humber. He described the US-UK relationship as “special,” adding that the transatlantic partnership underpins security, freedom, and prosperity.
“Together, we support over 2.5 million jobs in both our countries,” Starmer said, noting that the US remains the UK’s biggest trading partner. “It means a life-changing investment across the UK.”
The agreement covers investments in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, civil nuclear energy, telecommunications infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Starmer said the UK is uniquely positioned to benefit, highlighting its trillion-dollar tech sector, world-class universities, and ranking second only to the US in Nobel Prize winners. He also revealed plans to sign a separate technology cooperation pact with President Donald Trump.
Trump praised the agreement, saying it is already driving a wave of private sector deals worth over $350 million. “This will further strengthen our friendship with the UK,” he said. The US president argued that artificial intelligence is transforming global industries, joking with Nvidia CEO Jensen I don’t know what you’re doing here.”
Trump added that investments in the US this year will surpass $17 trillion, a record figure, and credited tariff policies for drawing in large sums of capital. He pledged to slash regulations on companies more aggressively than during his first term.
Starmer stressed that the new civil nuclear partnership will help power the UK’s technology expansion. “Technology needs energy,” he said. “That’s why this agreement matters.”
According to the UK government, the deal represents a commitment to shared innovation in next-generation industries while boosting jobs and growth in both nations.