Trump UK go to: The British enterprise winners and losers after US £150 billion funding pledge

[ad_1] Your assist helps us to inform the story From reproductive rights to local weather change to Large Tech, The Unbiased is on the bottom when the story is growing. Whether or not it is investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our newest documentary, 'The A Phrase', which shines a lightweight on the American girls preventing for reproductive rights, we all know how necessary it's to parse out the details from the messaging.

At such a essential second in US historical past, we want reporters on the bottom. Your donation permits us to maintain sending journalists to talk to each side of the story.

The Unbiased is trusted by People throughout all the political spectrum. And in contrast to many different high quality information shops, we select to not lock People out of our reporting and evaluation with paywalls. We imagine high quality journalism must be obtainable to everybody, paid for by those that can afford it.

Your assist makes all of the distinction. Learn extra Donald Trump’s UK state go to coincided with an announcement that US corporations will make investments spherical £150 billion into the UK.

The journey comes amid a key interval for world commerce, after the US president’s tariff plans led to vital commerce tensions earlier this 12 months.

Companies in some sectors have introduced contemporary commitments to pump billions into the UK, in a possible enhance for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Nonetheless, some industries criticised an absence of commerce deal assist and hard funding circumstances within the UK.

So, which sectors have been winners and losers this week:

Winners

Tech

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/18/14/57/SEI266657387.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/18/14/57/SEI266657387.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/18/14/57/SEI266657387.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Trump and Starmer held a joint press conference at Chequers on Thursday" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Trump and Starmer held a joint press convention at Chequers on Thursday (LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Photos) Expertise corporations have been on the forefront of the foremost funding offers into the UK.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Trump introduced a “tech prosperity deal” will see the UK and US co-operate in areas together with synthetic intelligence (AI), quantum computing and nuclear energy.

America’s high know-how corporations introduced £31 billion of funding alongside the announcement.

These included a dedication by Microsoft to speculate £22 billion within the UK to fund an growth of Britain’s AI infrastructure and the development of the nation’s largest AI supercomputer.

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang hailed a “huge week for AI within the UK” because the US chip big dedicated to supporting the event of the supercomputer.

The agency agreed to deploy 120,000 superior processors throughout the UK to assist enhance infrastructure throughout the British AI sector.

Google dedicated £5 billion of funding, specializing in enhancements in analysis and improvement and AI infrastructure.

There was additionally a raft of smaller investments by tech corporations together with AI cloud computing firm CoreWeave, Salesforce and AI Pathfinder.

Defence

US software program firm Palantir introduced plans to speculate £1.5 billion within the UK’s defence sector, with funding going into the event of synthetic intelligence-powered capabilities to hurry up choice making, army planning and concentrating on.

Defence Secretary John Healey stated the funding was a “main vote of confidence” for the UK.

Palantir stated it plans to determine the UK as its European headquarters for defence, creating 350 “high-skilled” new jobs.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/18/8/04/President-Trump-state-visit-to-UK-v3j8hoje.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/18/8/04/President-Trump-state-visit-to-UK-v3j8hoje.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/18/8/04/President-Trump-state-visit-to-UK-v3j8hoje.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Defence Secretary John Healey and the CEO of software company Palantir Technologies Alex Karp signed a £1.5 billion investment deal on Thursday" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Defence Secretary John Healey and the CEO of software program firm Palantir Applied sciences Alex Karp signed a £1.5 billion funding deal on Thursday (Lucy North/PA Wire) Manufacturing and R&D

There have been various investments reminiscent of £3.9 billion from Prologis to drive progress in life sciences and superior manufacturing.

US engineering agency Stax dedicated £37 million to develop its operations and pioneer emission-reducing know-how used at ports.

Infrastructure

Non-public fairness big Blackstone stated it plans to speculate round £100 billion into property within the UK over the following decade, within the single largest funding dedication.

This consists of £10 billion of beforehand introduced funding into its UK knowledge centres.

Nuclear engineering firm Amentum confirmed a £150 million funding within the UK and stated it plans to create greater than 3,000 new jobs, to extend its UK workforce by over 50 per cent over the following 4 years.

X-Power and Centrica additionally stated they plan to construct as much as 12 superior modular reactors.

Losers

Metal

The metal business was among the many important sectors left upset by the president’s go to.

Plans for US tariffs on UK metal exports to be scrapped have been shelved, with the UK pausing its push to deliver the levy right down to zero.

UK metal exports to the US at the moment face a 25 per cent tariff, in contrast with 50 per cent for different nations.

Earlier this 12 months, the UK and the US agreed for some UK metal to be exempt from tariffs.

Gareth Stace, director-general of business commerce affiliation UK Metal, stated it was “disappointing”.

Prescribed drugs

As a part of investments between the nations, UK pharmaceutical big GSK revealed plans to place practically £22 billion into US R&D and manufacturing over the following 5 years.

The federal government stated the deal will “strengthen UK-US life sciences ties” however it comes amid a difficult backdrop for funding for the sector within the UK.

Final week, US-based Merck stated its UK operation will scrap plans for a £1 billion web site in Kings Cross, which had been as a consequence of open in 2027.

Bosses blamed the federal government for paying too little for medicines and never investing sufficient within the sector, because it confirmed the transfer, which is able to affect round 125 jobs.

Days later, AstraZeneca introduced it had paused plans to speculate £200 million at a Cambridge analysis web site within the newest main blow for the sector.

Business bosses informed MPs this week that the “troublesome” atmosphere within the UK and stress on pricing had made the UK a much less enticing funding atmosphere than different nations such because the US.

Mr Trump informed reporters on Thursday that pharmaceutical corporations have been coming again to the US from different nations.

“Automotive corporations are shifting in, AI is shifting in, all people’s coming in… The drug corporations are coming again, all of them wish to be there – they kind of should be there – however all of them wish to be there.”