Rachel Reeves dashes hopes of early breakthrough in UK-US trade deal

Rachel Reeves in Washington: ‘I’m not going to give a commentary on the numbers but I have always been clear that I believe in free trade.’ Photograph: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Rachel Reeves has dashed hopes of an early breakthrough in trade talks with the Trump administration, stressing that the UK is “not going to rush” into a deal.

Speaking before her first face-to-face meeting with the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, in which she was expected to lobby him to reduce tariffs, the chancellor said negotiations would take time.