Potential Trump trade deal would ‘roll out the red carpet to tech billionaire oligarchy’, campaigners warn
Global Justice Now | 21 February 2025
Potential Trump trade deal would ‘roll out the red carpet to tech billionaire oligarchy’, campaigners warn
Ahead of Starmer’s White House visit, campaigners warn potential return of US trade deal talks would take a ‘wrecking ball’ to standards and public services
CAMPAIGNERS have warned that the potential of the return of negotiations around a UK-US trade deal would “roll out the red carpet to a tech billionaire oligarchy”, ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first face-to-face meeting with President Trump since his election in November.
Director of UK-based campaigning organisation Global Justice Now, Nick Dearden said: “A Trump trade deal would roll out the red carpet to the tech billionaire oligarchy, with any negotiations seeing Trump pushing the demands of Big Tech oligarchs who want to avoid tax and regulation in the UK.
“People in the UK don’t want to see a wrecking ball taken to our regulations, standards and public services, especially when we’re talking about new technologies like AI where we’re only just beginning to get to grips with the dangers. It is even worse for such talks to be taking place behind closed doors, allowing the tech titans to make their demands away from the public gaze. Any potential for a Trump trade deal must be taken off the table immediately.”
Potential trade negotiations with the US raise concerns around the regulation of Big Tech, as controversial billionaire owner Elon Musk has been appointed as a senior advisor to Trump. Starmer has already been accused of giving in to Trump’s bullying, when the UK followed the US lead in refusing to sign a declaration on “inclusive and sustainable” artificial intelligence in Paris earlier this month – despite the document being backed by 60 other signatories.
This comes amid growing concerns around the extreme wealth and power wielded by tech billionaires and corporations, as a recent report revealed Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Apple (GAMMA) top the list of companies for lobbying spending in Europe. The five companies control 11% of global GDP amounting to £9.86 trillion, more than 168 countries’ national incomes combined.
Last year saw the UK and US quietly usher in a new agreement to open “transatlantic data flows”, which allows personal data – “everything from people’s social media photos to company payroll information” – to flow between the two countries.
Starmer’s office previously highlighted trade as a key area of discussion, with a spokesperson stating, “The prime minister looks forward to meeting President Trump shortly to discuss how we can deepen the special relationship across trade, investment and security.”
Recent weeks have seen Trump engage in what has been termed a “trade war”, through the extensive use of tariffs. This has added to the prospect that the UK may attempt to enter negotiations with the US for a formalised trade deal in an attempt to avert potential tariffs.
Members of the Trump administration have indicated they believe a trade deal with the UK could be signed within months. Previous negotiations took place in May 2020, however they stalled at agriculture and trade when controversy emerged as the US attempted to pressure the UK into weakening standards and allowing the import of foods including chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef.
Notes to editors
- Global Justice Now is a UK-based campaigning organisation part of a global movement to challenge the powerful and create a more just and equal world. We mobilise people in the UK for change, and act in solidarity with those fighting injustice, particularly in the global south.
- Global Justice Now is currently involved in an ongoing legal case against the UK Government around freedom of information, stemming from a case brought by Global Justice Now to access basic information about trade talks the government is engaged in. Further background on the latest chapter.
