In an interview with LBC on Thursday (5 November), the environment secretary Dame Angela Eagle MP appears to have massively understated the value of the UK’s trade with the US.
When asked about the recent US midterm election results, Dame Angela said: “It’s important that we maintain our relationships with the US, a great ally of ours, and we do £2.5 billion of business together between our two economies.”
It’s not clear exactly what measure and time period Dame Angela had in mind, or if she misspoke. But the latest figures from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade put the total annual trade in goods and services between the UK and the US at over 100 times the figure she cited—£333.9 billion in the 12 months to the end of March 2026.
This includes £203.3 billion of UK exports to the US, and £130.5 billion of UK imports from the US.
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We’ve asked Dame Angela’s office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about her claim, and will update this fact check if we hear back.
