Importance Score: 45 / 100 🔵
Leader of the Oppositon Kemi Badenoch believes a trade deal is the “best way” to avoid the impending tariffs to be enforced by Donald Trump in just hours.
She told LBC: “A trade deal is the best way but it has to be something significant and comprehensive, not just a deal that tinkers at the margins in easy areas. Some people will want us to have trade retaliation – that just makes everyone poorer.
“This is a time for significant diplomacy and showing that actually, if you put tariffs on, the people who will suffer aren’t just our exporters but also the American consumer who will have to pay more.”
This comes after Trump issued a two-word remark that will likely leave Keir Starmer hopeful Britain may avoid the worst of the levies.
When asked for details on his tariffs, Trump said he was going to be “very kind”. He told reporters yesterday:”You’re going to see in two days, which is maybe tomorrow night or probably Wednesday. We’re going to be very nice, relatively speaking, we’re going to be very kind.”
April 2 will be “Liberation Day”, according to Trump, where he will unveil any tariffs on any country that “treats the US unfairly”. Conflicting signals about the scope of the expected tariffs are increasing nerves about a trade war which could tip the US into a recession risking a slowdown for businesses.
The degree and duration of Trump’s forthcoming tariffs remains unknown. Senior members of Sir Keir Starmer’s government have been engaged in intense negotiations over recent weeks as they race to agree a trade deal with the US, which could avoid the UK being included in the package of measures.
Starmer and Trump discussed “productive negotiations” towards a UK-US economic prosperity deal and agreed these will “continue at pace” in a phone call, Downing Street said on Sunday.
The Prime Minister is understood to have put “plans in place” to punish the US president if he includes Britain in his raid on global imports planned for Wednesday.