Starmer to set out UK response to Trump tariffs in press conference
Sir Keir Starmer will hold a press conference in Downing Street to explain the UK’s response to Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats, amid increasing global turbulence and the possibility of a new trade war.
The government is likely to face questions about its approach to dealing with an increasingly unstable US administration, amid growing calls for the prime minister to stand up to Mr Trump.
This comes after the US president said on Saturday that Britain would impose a 10 per cent tariff on “all goods” sent to the US from February 1, with the rate rising to 25 per cent from June 1 until an agreement is reached on Washington’s purchase of Greenland from Denmark.
He said the same would apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, and that “they traveled to Greenland for unknown purposes.”
The prime minister is hoping he can regain control of the narrative surrounding his foreign policy after the US president caught world leaders off guard on Saturday, as he struggles with devastating approval ratings and growing questions about the direction of the government’s domestic agenda.
Downing Street sources said Sir Keir would use the press conference to set out the UK’s approach to working with its allies and reiterate the UK’s commitment to NATO.
“It will make clear our determination to work at home and abroad to protect the security, living standards and future of the British people,” they added.
The prime minister publicly opposed Mr. Trump’s latest intervention, telling the US president by phone on Sunday afternoon that “it is wrong to impose tariffs on allies to ensure the collective security of NATO allies.”
Sir Keir, who also met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Sunday afternoon, used the phone call to reiterate his position on Greenland and tell the US president that “security in the High North is a priority for all NATO allies.”
The statement came after the UK and seven other affected European countries warned that US tariff threats on Greenland’s future were “undermining transatlantic relations and risking a dangerous downward spiral”.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the countries said they would “stand united and coordinated” in their response.
Earlier this week, Britain confirmed it had sent a military officer to Greenland as Denmark increased its military presence in the Arctic and High North.
Downing Street said they were sent, at Denmark’s request, to join a reconnaissance group ahead of a planned Arctic endurance exercise, but denied it amounted to a “deployment”.
But Mr Trump said the countries were playing a “very dangerous game”.
“It is time for Denmark to give it back,” he said, adding: “China and Russia want Greenland and there is nothing Denmark can do about it.
In a statement on Saturday, Sir Keir reiterated that Greenland “is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for Greenlanders and Danes.”
“We have also made clear that Arctic Security is important for all of NATO and that our allies must collectively do more to counter the Russian threat from different parts of the Arctic,” he added.
“Imposing tariffs on allies to ensure the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. Of course, we will pursue this directly with the US administration.”
