Media: US presses UK to adopt American standards in trade talks

US President Donald Trump’s trade negotiators are pushing for the United Kingdom to adopt American regulatory standards in ongoing trade talks — a move that could jeopardise Britain’s post-Brexit efforts to reset relations with the European Union, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations.

The United States is also demanding that the UK recognise American accreditation bodies, a shift that experts warn could have far-reaching consequences for safety-critical sectors including food production, forensics, manufacturing and NHS testing, sources told Politico. 

“It’s this invisible infrastructure that no one really knows about but which keeps everyone safe — and that’s now under threat,” a person briefed on the talks told POLITICO. All sources were granted anonymity to speak freely.

US negotiators have recently intensified pressure following the suspension of the Technology Prosperity Deal, reflecting Washington’s frustration with the pace of broader negotiations. British requests for relief from US tariffs on steel and Scotch whisky have so far gone unanswered.

The dispute has unfolded amid wider tensions in transatlantic relations. Over the weekend, Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Britain and other European allies resisting his push for US ownership of Greenland.

The US standards push also comes as the Trump administration has weakened domestic regulatory bodies, including sweeping cuts to the Food and Drug Administration and the dismantling of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

While food standards remain a declared red line for the UK government, some figures involved in the talks fear London could concede ground in other areas.

“My concern is that these red lines that have been red lines from the outset and for years are under increasing threat of being breached,” the same person said.

According to another individual briefed by both governments, British negotiators have so far resisted US demands, but Washington “keep circling back” to the same issues.

Peter Holmes, a standards expert at the UK Trade Policy Observatory at the University of Sussex, warned that complying with US demands could trigger a “race to the bottom,” leaving Britain viewed internationally as a “wild west market.”

A spokesperson for the United States Trade Representative dismissed the report, saying the claims came from “anonymous and irrelevant sources” with “no insight into the trade discussions between the US and UK.”

The spokesperson did not dispute specific details.

By Sabina Mammadli