Sir Keir Starmer has been warned he will be guilty of an “epic fail” if India wins a trade deal with the US ahead of the UK. Andrew Griffith, the Shadow Business and Trade Secretary, blasted the Prime Minister for chasing a new trading relationship with the European Union instead of clearing away barriers with the US.

Hopes of striking a speedy deal with the US have been dealt a blow, with the White House allegedly treating the UK as a second-order priority. The UK has reportedly failed to make it into the first phase of negotiations that the Trump administration will pursue, with officials reportedly focused on nailing down deals with Asian countries.

US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said countries such as India, South Korea and Japan “have been the most forthcoming” in their readiness to make deals.

Mr Griffith told the Express: “If Britain is beaten to a US trade deal by India, this will be another epic fail by Labour. Starmer’s busy playing footsie with Brussels whilst other nations get deals done with the world’s largest economy and our closest ally.

“He was slow to act, lost our chief negotiator and, like most of his Cabinet, spent years insulting Trump. Britain deserves better.”

South Korea is at the top of the list of countries the US wants to finalise deals with, The Guardian reported. It is not known whether the UK will be in phase two or three of the US trade negotiations.

British officials had hoped to secure a deal by May 19. However, there is concern talks with the US could become more difficult if the UK agrees new trading arrangements with European Union in the meantime.

Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt said the Prime Minister and the US president should “get a move on”.

She said: “If I were the US, I’d want to get a deal done fast ... Our Government have not given us any assurances on regulation and if an EU deal sucks us back into its regulatory orbit, then we and the US won’t be able to do an ambitious deal.”

The White House may also demand that the UK accept chlorinated chicken. It has blasted British food safety standards, accusing the UK of having “non-science-based standards that severely restrict US exports of safe, high-quality beef and poultry products”.

Britain will also come under pressure from Commonwealth ally Canada – which has been hit with US tariffs – to stand up to the US. New Canadian prime minister and former Bank of England governor Mark Carney has condemned the “American betrayal” and said “one would assume” his country and the UK can agree a trade deal of their own.

Callum Price, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, urged the PM to get on with tearing down trade barriers.

He said: “The good news for the Prime Minister is that he does not need Trump to boost trade, he can do it himself. Many of the barriers to trade are self-imposed, and can be removed unilaterally.

“The UK can reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers without the permission of the president, and we should. This would cut costs for consumers and businesses and boost our economy.

“If Starmer can then persuade Trump that the UK is open for business on top of that, then that’s an additional win too.”

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir was pressed to give MPs a vote on any trade deal.

He said: “We are in negotiations with the US in relation to a deal. We will act obviously in the national interest to make sure that if there is a deal, it is the right deal for this country.”