Pain in Paris gives way to a late winner in Washington

As his beloved Arsenal suffered defeat, the PM struck gold with a trade deal,Kate Devlin and Millie Cooke report

- KATE DEVLIN and MILLIE COOKE

On Wednesday night, the prime minister had been expecting to settle in to watch his beloved Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final of the Champions League.

The game would end in defeat for the London side, beaten in the French capital and ending another season trophyless. But at the end of the fixture’s 90 minutes, Sir Keir Starmer had a reason to be happy.

Halfway through the game, he received a call from Donald Trump. And his longed-for US-UK trade deal – crucial for mitigating the harm of the swingeing US tariffs announced last month, and perhaps the key to saving his premiership – was on.

The final agreement did not come easily, however. As the UK’s ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, let slip in a hastily arranged press conference in the White House less than 24 hours later, there had been a hitch.

The Americans had made an eleventh-hour demand for more concessions from the UK. The sticking point did not remain one for long, however. In another part of London on Wednesday night, after making a speech at the Mansion House, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, was told the agreement was ready.