Lincolnshire industries must take ‘maximum advantage’ of international trade deals, according to Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Lincolnshire’s biggest industries will see a huge difference from new trade deals, the Prime Minister has claimed.

Asked about local leaders’ claims that the county is underfunded and ignored by Whitehall, Keir Starmer promised it would feel the benefit from agreements with other nations.

Chief Constable Nick Dean met with the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper

The recently-announced deals with the US, EU and India aim to cut red tape and make it easier for farmers, steelmakers and manufacturers to export their goods.

Lincolnshire’s newly-elected Reform mayor Andrea Jenkyns was amongst the mayors invited to the Council of Nations and Regions in London today (May 23), where the Prime Minister urged leaders to drive growth in their areas.

“Sometimes deals sound dry and won’t be talked about in the pub or the high street, but they will have a big impact,” Mr Starmer said.

“We’ve gathered all the Mayors together today and worked to put our differences aside and ask how we can improve their regions, including Lincolnshire.

“At the heart of the discussions are the three trade deals we’ve struck with India, the US and EU.

“Lincolnshire has 39,000 manufacturing jobs and 100,000 in the food sector so this is hugely important.

“The deals gets rid of red tape for those industries, making it cheaper and quicker to export. Now we need to work out how to take maximum advantage.”

The meeting of the mayors came the same day that former Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill (Con) claimed that the Government was ‘hostile to rural areas’.

Mr Starmer denied this, saying the deal would ‘hugely’ help farmers.

“It will be easier and cheaper for farmers to sell into the EU, bringing costs down, which will make a big difference. We need to work with them to see what else we can do.”

The Labour Prime Minister said the deals would also be a lifeline for British Steel in Scunthorpe, who was rescued from collapse by the government last month.

Potentially-crippling US tarrifs on steel have now been reduced from 25 per cent to zero, protecting thousands of Scunthorpe jobs.

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