Starmer: UK-US deal or eased tariffs 'not enough for Britain'

SIR KEIR Starmer has warned that striking an economic deal with the US or securing lowered American tariff rates for the UK will not be "enough" for Britain.

- PRESS ASSOCIATION REPORTERS

The Prime Minister conceded he was unsure whether the 10% import tax imposed by Donald Trump on British goods would be in place indefinitely and said the Government must "step up" to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

Donald Trump later said he would be pausing tariffs on most nations for 90 days while raising his tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%.

The US president posted the announcement on his Truth Social platform, but the precise details of his plans to ease tariffs on non-China trade partners were not immediately clear.

The US treasury secretary has said Mr Trump will keep his 10% baseline tariffs on most countries.

Ministers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves had suggested the UK must look elsewhere to improve rela-tions with other countries aside from the US, including the EU, as uncertainty reigns over the US president's trade policy.

Speaking US following Mr Trump's imposition of more global tariffs, Sir Keir said Britain must look at "coordinating better across Europe" to protect its economy.

Asked whether the 10% rate hitting all British goods would be in place forever, the Prime Minister told ITV's Peston: "Look, I don't know.

"We are negotiating and we hope to improve the situation, but what I mean by this is that simply thinking that any change in the rates, or any deal is going to be enough, to my mind is wrong.

"Because just as we've done with defence and security, where we've recognised it's a changing world, we've got to step up and act differently.