UK Secures £150bn in US Investment Amid Trump’s State Visit
The UK government has announced a landmark £150 billion investment deal from the United States, which it says will help create 7,600 new jobs across the country. The announcement comes during President Donald Trump’s state visit and is being presented as a major boost to Britain’s economic partnership with the US.
Big Tech Leads the Investment Wave
The deal follows commitments from major American tech giants, including Microsoft and Google, both pledging multi-billion-pound investments in the UK. Microsoft has promised to spend £22 billion over the next four years, while Google will put £5 billion into expanding its Hertfordshire data centre over the next two years.
The largest share of the investment will come from Blackstone, a US private equity giant, which has pledged £90 billion over the next decade. However, the details of how this money will be allocated remain unclear. Blackstone previously announced plans to spend £370 billion across Europe over 10 years.
A Strategic Push to Strengthen US-UK Economic Ties
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who will meet with Trump and top investors at Chequers, welcomed the move. He described the announcement as “a testament to Britain’s economic strength and a bold signal that our country is open, ambitious, and ready to lead.”
Other US companies joining the wave of investments include:
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Prologis, investing £3.9 billion in life sciences and advanced manufacturing in Cambridge and Daventry.
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Palantir, committing £1.5 billion to UK defence innovation, creating up to 350 jobs.
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Amentum, planning to generate more than 3,000 jobs across Glasgow, Warrington, and the Midlands.
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Boeing, set to convert two 737 aircraft for the US Air Force in Birmingham — the first USAF aircraft built in the UK in over 50 years.
Challenges at Home Despite Foreign Investment
While the government is celebrating the inflow of foreign money, the announcement comes against a backdrop of slowing domestic business investment. According to the Office for National Statistics, 127,000 fewer people were on UK payrolls compared to a year earlier, while job vacancies dropped by 14%.
Rising operating costs, including higher National Insurance contributions and minimum wage requirements, have discouraged UK-based firms from expanding. Several pharmaceutical giants have also scaled back on British projects:
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Merck withdrew a planned £1 billion investment, blaming UK policies that undervalue innovative medicines.
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AstraZeneca paused a £200 million research site project in Cambridge, shifting investment to the US instead.
Meanwhile, UK-based GSK has invested nearly £22 billion in the US over five years, further highlighting concerns that British firms are increasingly moving capital abroad.
Reactions: Praise and Skepticism
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle hailed the deals as proof of international confidence in the UK’s industrial strategy, calling them “record-breaking investments” that would generate thousands of high-quality jobs.
But not everyone was convinced. Former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg argued that the figures should be put “into perspective,” dismissing the announcement as “crumbs from the Silicon Valley table.” He warned that Britain’s long-standing problem remains: UK start-ups often end up relocating to the US in search of larger investment opportunities.
“Not only do we import their technology,” Clegg said, “but we also export our best people and ideas. The UK must learn to stand on its own two feet rather than cling to Uncle Sam’s