The UK government says it has secured £150bn in investment from major US firms, timed with President Donald Trump’s state visit and a high-profile summit at Chequers with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Tech leaders Microsoft and Google, along with private equity giant Blackstone, are among those committing billions to Britain in a move the government hopes will create 7,600 jobs nationwide. The announcement comes after a series of setbacks in the UK’s life sciences sector, where both Merck and AstraZeneca recently shifted planned investments to the United States.
Starmer hailed the pledges as “a testament to Britain’s economic strength and a bold signal that our country is open, ambitious, and ready to lead.”
The biggest single commitment comes from Blackstone, which will invest £90bn over the next decade, part of a wider European spending plan. Microsoft has pledged £22bn over four years, while Google will invest £5bn to expand its Hertfordshire data centre.
Other companies making investments include Palantir, which will spend up to £1.5bn on defence innovation, creating 350 jobs; Prologis, with a £3.9bn commitment to life sciences and advanced manufacturing; and Amentum, which will add more than 3,000 UK jobs. Boeing, meanwhile, will convert two aircraft for the US Air Force in Birmingham, the first USAF planes built in Britain for over 50 years creating 150 skilled jobs.
Despite the government’s optimism, the jobs market remains under pressure, with official figures showing UK payrolls fell by 127,000 in the year to August. Ministers are positioning the investment drive as part of a long-term plan to boost growth, strengthen tech and industrial capacity, and offer new careers in clean energy, biotech and AI.
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said the announcements reflected “growing confidence in the UK’s industrial strategy” and promised “real opportunities for working people.”
The deals will be sealed alongside the signing of a new Tech Prosperity Deal on Thursday, aimed at expanding nuclear power cooperation between Britain and the United States.
