Starmer urged to spell out plan to fight Trump’s tariffs

Labour has insisted it has a plan to deal with Donald Trump’s tariffs, as the latest threat to British steel production prompts demands for Sir Keir Starmer to set out his strategy.

- DAVID MADDOX

The US president yesterday announced a worldwide 25 per cent tariff on steel, triggering panic over the future of Britain’s fragile industry and raising fears that more trade fees could deepen problems for the UK economy, which is already teetering on the brink of a recession. As well as hitting UK exports to the US, a global trade war could see an influx of cheaper imports that would put British suppliers out of business.

Mr Trump’s threat adds to the pressure on the prime minister to push for a deeper relationship with the EU; a report published over the weekend found that a so-called dynamic alignment – in which Britain would mirror EU regulations in order to allow frictionless trade without having to rejoin a customs union – would grow the economy by 2.2 per cent.

But there are concerns that ministers have refused to say whether a strategy is in place to deal with the threat of more US tariffs.

Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson, said: “In the face of Trump’s threats, ministers should be urgently working with international allies on a coordinated response. British jobs are on the line. Businesses and workers want to see the government stand up for them, not tiptoe round the issue.” Meanwhile the leader of the party, Sir Ed Davey, called for a four-nation UK summit to allow the devolved leaders to deal with the impact on the steel industry.