At a time like this, Britain must look to its real friends

The latest US tariffs to hit British exports will not be easy to swallow but, as James Moore writes, there is another special relationship’ of a more reliable kind just across the Channel

- James Moore

“Events” keep on making life complicated for Britain’s beleaguered government. A case in point: just a day after confirming that disabled people will have to carry the burden of making her sums add up, chancellor Rachel Reeves and the rest of the cabinet found themselves facing an orange grenade. Donald Trump is imposing 25 per cent tariffs on car imports into the United States.

We need to keep a sense of proportion here. After the EU, the United States is the UK car industry’s largest export market. But, when it comes to the list of countries the US imports most of its motors from, our assembly plants lag behind those of Japan, South Korea, Canada, Germany, and especially Mexico.

Moreover, the sort of people who can afford to buy some of the UK’s luxury marques – think Jaguars, Bentleys, and Aston Martins – are less sensitive to price than those who rely on more workaday vehicles sent up over the border from Baja California, or using parts made in Canada.

But the tariffs will still hurt what remains an important industry for the UK – doubly so in manufacturing, an area that has been struggling. It is the last thing that Reeves and co need, coming on top of the tariffs the UK has already had imposed on its transatlantic steel exports.