Three things seem likely.

First, Apple said absolutely not. British people would need to import their own Apple products, and the UK isn’t a big enough market by itself to force the change.

Second, the US intelligence probably shared that we have access already and they can have it too. Even if that’s not true, that’s what it looks like if you read between the lines, and a wink is as good as a nod to a conservative who gets their news from social media. So Apple doesn’t have to compromise their customer privacy, and the UK gets some political cover from the implication that Apple can’t actually protect their customers’ privacy.

Third, Apple may have simply conceded but won’t admit it publicly. The US administration, in exchange for gold baubles, negotiated a compromise where Apple gives the UK the back door, but the UK does not admit that they have access.

I don’t know which one happened, but all three seem plausible. It could be a mix of any of them, or maybe something else entirely. I dunno, I haven’t had coffee yet today.