The UK government has announced it has secured £150 billion in fresh investment from American firms, a move it says could generate more than 7,600 jobs nationwide.
The news comes during President Donald Trump’s official visit to Britain, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosting both Trump and senior business leaders at Chequers for high-level talks on economic cooperation.
Major US Commitments
The bulk of the new funding—around £90 billion—will come from private equity giant Blackstone, spread across the next decade. Blackstone has already pledged £370 billion in Europe over the same timeframe, with a significant portion now earmarked for the UK.
Other major players include:
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Microsoft, which will inject £22 billion into UK operations over the next four years.
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Google, planning £5 billion to expand its Hertfordshire data centre.
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Prologis, committing £3.9 billion to life sciences and advanced manufacturing in Cambridge and Daventry.
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Palantir, pledging up to £1.5 billion for defence technology and 350 new jobs.
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Amentum, creating more than 3,000 jobs across Glasgow, Warrington, and the Midlands.
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Boeing, which will modify two 737 aircraft in Birmingham for the US Air Force—the first time USAF planes will be built in the UK in over half a century.
Starmer described the commitments as a “clear vote of confidence in Britain’s future,” stressing that the UK is “open, ambitious, and ready to lead on the global stage.”
Challenges Remain
The investment boom comes against a backdrop of uncertainty for some industries. The government recently shelved plans for a deal to cut tariffs on steel, while leading pharmaceutical firms have begun scaling back their UK expansion plans.
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Merck abandoned a planned £1 billion investment, shifting research to the US, citing weak support for innovative medicines.
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AstraZeneca paused a £200 million Cambridge project expected to generate 1,000 jobs, redirecting funds across the Atlantic.
At the same time, official figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of people on UK payrolls fell by 127,000 over the year to August, while job vacancies dropped 14% in the same period. Rising costs, including increases in National Insurance and minimum wage requirements, have also been blamed for slowing domestic investment.
Praise and Criticism
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle hailed the US pledges as proof of the UK’s robust industrial strategy, saying they would bring “thousands of high-quality jobs” to British communities.
However, former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg struck a more cautious tone. Speaking on the BBC, he dismissed the figures as “crumbs from the Silicon Valley table,” warning that the UK still risks losing its best talent and ideas overseas.
“Not only do we import American technology,” Clegg argued, “we also export our brightest minds and innovations. Britain must learn to stand on its own two feet instead of clinging to Uncle Sam’s coat tails.”
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