{"text":[[{"start":10.84,"text":"Sir Keir Starmer will on Monday announce a US-UK nuclear energy agreement ahead of this week’s state visit by Donald Trump, as the prime minister attempts to prove that his efforts to woo the US president are delivering economic results."}],[{"start":28.73,"text":"Starmer will claim that Britain and the US are embarking on “a golden age of nuclear” with more transatlantic co-operation and speedier regulatory approvals for atomic projects to create jobs and cut household bills."}],[{"start":43.18,"text":"Trump’s three-day state visit, starting on Tuesday, will also see deals covering technology and artificial intelligence, amid British hopes that the US president will cut tariffs on Scotch whisky exports."}],[{"start":57.76,"text":"But the visit will be overshadowed by Starmer’s sacking of his US ambassador, Lord Peter Mandelson, who helped to negotiate the deals that will be unveiled in the coming days."}],[{"start":69.25,"text":"Trump and his wife Melania, who will stay with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, will be shielded from the public during his visit."}],[{"start":78,"text":"Mandelson was sacked over his links to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and Trump is likely to face questions at a press conference on Thursday about his own relationship with the disgraced financier."}],[{"start":92.84,"text":"Starmer, engulfed in political disarray, will attempt to turn the state visit into a showcase for Britain’s appeal to foreign investors and to prove that months of diplomacy with Trump are paying off commercially."}],[{"start":108.59,"text":"Downing Street said the US-UK nuclear energy agreement would make it easier for companies to build new power stations in both countries, speeding up the time it takes for a project to get a technology licence from roughly three or four years to about two."}],[{"start":125.23,"text":"“Together with the US, we’re building a golden age of nuclear that puts both countries at the forefront of global innovation and investment,” Starmer said."}],[{"start":135.42000000000002,"text":"US energy secretary Chris Wright said Trump was “ushering in a true nuclear renaissance” and that the deals being announced during the visit would secure nuclear supply chains across the Atlantic."}],[{"start":148.85000000000002,"text":"Welcoming the nuclear agreement, FTSE 100 aerospace and engineering company Rolls-Royce said it had entered the US regulatory process for its small modular reactors, signalling its intent to roll them out in America as well as in the UK and elsewhere. "}],[{"start":166.59000000000003,"text":"The UK government and several companies from the US, Britain and Europe announced separate plans for new nuclear power stations in England, focusing on smaller models or next-generation technologies which ministers hope can be built quicker than current large scale plants and be safer and produce less waste. "}],[{"start":190.39000000000004,"text":"The plans are in the early stages and will require financing and also some government support to get off the ground, neither of which are guaranteed. "}],[{"start":200.03000000000003,"text":"But they illustrate a push by both the US and UK governments and private companies to try to develop more nuclear power and meet growing demand for low carbon electricity, including from data centres. "}],[{"start":215.02000000000004,"text":"One of the plans announced on Monday was a joint development agreement between UK energy company Centrica and US nuclear group X-energy to deploy advanced high-temperature, gas-cooled reactors in Hartlepool. "}],[{"start":229.91000000000003,"text":"Trump’s impending visit previously caused apprehension in London because of the president’s chaotic style and criticism of Britain on issues such as free speech and wind power."}],[{"start":242.66000000000003,"text":"But it is now being seen by Starmer as something of a lifeline. “This will be a chance to show Britain is a highly attractive location for investment, highlighting our growth strategy,” said one ally of Starmer."}],[{"start":257.29,"text":"Ministers on Sunday hailed £1.25bn of US investments in the UK financial services sector which they said would create 1,800 jobs in London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester."}],[{"start":274.27000000000004,"text":"Bank of America is set to create up to 1,000 new jobs in Belfast, while Citigroup has confirmed it is investing £1.1bn across its UK operations, including in Northern Ireland, where it already employs more than 4,000 people."}],[{"start":293.26000000000005,"text":"BlackRock is celebrating the opening of its new Edinburgh office this week, while in Manchester, S&P Global is creating a further 200 jobs."}],[{"start":303.34000000000003,"text":"The positive mood around financial services stands in contrast to tensions between Washington and London over what Trump sees as unfair drugs pricing in the UK."}],[{"start":316.38000000000005,"text":"Some pharmaceutical companies have axed or frozen new investments in Britain, including Merck and AstraZeneca."}],[{"start":332.16,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftmailbox.cn/album/a_1757906840_9828.mp3"}