Sir Keir Starmer has warned the world as we knew it has gone after US president Donald Trump slapped sweeping tariffs on dozens of trading partners including the UK.
The prime minister warned that “old assumptions can no longer be taken for granted” and said a world led by Mr Trump was governed more by deals and alliances than established rules.
It comes after the US president put a 10 per cent tariff on all UK goods exports to America, including a 25 per cent tariff on all British carmakers including Jaguar Land Rover.
“Old assumptions can no longer be taken for granted. The world as we knew it has gone. We must rise to meet the moment,” Sir Keir wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
“We are ready for what comes next. The new world is less governed by established rules and more by deals and alliances.”
Jaguar Land Rover said it was suspending shipments to the US while it considers how to mitigate the cost of Mr Trump’s tariffs.
‘The US is the biggest loser’: What Independent readers are saying about Trump’s tariffs
Trump’s tariffs in numbers: The biggest losers amid escalating US trade war
World leaders were hit with an escalation in the US trade war as Donald Trump unveiled a swathe of tariffs on imported goods affecting nearly every country.
On so-called “Liberation Day”, the United States president announced that almost all imported goods would be hit with blanket tariffs, in an effort to increase homegrown production and reduce trade imbalances.
Most countries that trade with the US will be subject to a minimum 10 per cent tariff from April 5, including the United Kingdom, with dozens of nations facing levies as high as 50 per cent.
The reciprocal tariffs, which put Chinese goods imports at 54 per cent, will come into effect from 9 April.
Read the full story by The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian here:
Starmer and Macron keep ‘all options on the table’ after Trump tariffs
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron spoke on Saturday and agreed to keep all options on the table as they plot a response to Donald Trump’s universal tariffs.
The prime minister and French president said a trade war would be “in nobody’s interests” but said “nothing should be off the table” in combating the US president’s damaging measures.
The pair also said they had concerns about the global economic and security impact of Mr Trump’s levies, “particularly in South East Asia”.
It comes as Sir Keir remains holed up speaking to world leaders this weekend, seeking to build closer ties with non-US allies as the trade war escalates.
The world as Britain knew it has gone, Starmer warns
Sir Keir Starmer has warned the world as we knew it has gone after US president Donald Trump slapped sweeping tariffs on dozens of trading partners including the UK.
The prime minister warned that “old assumptions can no longer be taken for granted” and said a world led by Mr Trump was governed more by deals and alliances than established rules.
It comes after the US president put a 10 per cent tariff on all UK exports to America, including a 25 per cent tariff on all British carmakers including Jaguar Land Rover.
“Old assumptions can no longer be taken for granted. The world as we knew it has gone. We must rise to meet the moment,” Sir Keir wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
Trump tariffs could cut GDP growth by 0.5%, French PM says
France could see a 0.5 per cent plunge in GDP following US president Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, French prime minister Francois Bayrou said.
“The imposition of these outrageous tariffs will lead to a global crisis. The risk of job losses is significant, as is that of an economic slowdown,” he told Le Parisien newspaper.
Mr Trump slapped a 20 per cent tariff on all EU exports to the US earlier this week.
Musk says he hopes for ‘zero tariffs’ between US and Europe
US tech-billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday he hoped in future to see complete freedom of trade between the United States and Europe, speaking days after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on trading partners.
Musk, a Trump adviser who has been working to eliminate wasteful US public spending, spoke via video-link at a congress in Florence of Italy’s right-wing, co-ruling League Party.
“At the end of the day, I hope it’s agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said.
Under Trump’s plans announced on Wednesday, Italy, which has a large trade surplus with the United States, will be subject to a general tariff of 20 per cent along with other European Union countries.
Trump tariffs: Who will be hardest hit by China-US trade war?
China has retaliated with 34 per cent tariffs on imported US goods, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” trade war.
On April 2, Mr Trump announced an extra 34 per cent tariff on all Chinese goods imported to the US, on top of an existing 20 per cent levy.
Now, China will impose 34 per cent reciprocal tariffs from April 10, with the China State Council Tariff Commission saying it was hitting back against “bullying”.
So who will be hit hardest between the US-China trade war? The Independent’s Alicja Hagopian and Millie Cooke take a closer look here:
Thousands gather for anti-Trump protests across all 50 US states
At least 1,200 demonstrations are set to take place across the US on Saturday against Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Thousands were streaming into Washington DC as the protests got underway under gloomy skies and light rain.
More than 20,000 people were expected to attend the rally at the National Mall, organisers said.
Some 150 activist groups have signed up to participate, according to the event’s website. Protests are planned in all 50 states plus Canada and Mexico.
Trump’s tariffs in numbers: The biggest losers amid escalating US trade war
World leaders were hit with an escalation in the US trade war as Donald Trump unveiled a swathe of tariffs on imported goods affecting nearly every country.
On so-called “Liberation Day”, the United States president announced that almost all imported goods would be hit with blanket tariffs, in an effort to increase homegrown production and reduce trade imbalances.
Most countries that trade with the US will be subject to a minimum 10 per cent tariff from April 5, including the United Kingdom, with dozens of nations facing levies as high as 50 per cent.
The reciprocal tariffs, which put Chinese goods imports at 54 per cent, will come into effect from 9 April.
Read the full story by The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian here: