David Lammy has said he regrets the “return to protectionism” in the US and that Britons will be “very concerned” about how tariffs could affect their finances.
It comes after Donald Trump insisted prime minister Keir Starmer “was very happy” with Washington’s new 10 per cent tariffs on UK goods.
“We have a very good dialogue. I think he was very happy about how we treated them with tariffs”, the US president told reporters on Air Force One on Thursday, adding that he was open to negotiations if countries offer “something that is so phenomenal”.
Speaking at the launch of Labour’s local elections campaign in Chesterfield, Starmer commented that the world is at the beginning of a “new economic era” in which “we have to act and lead differently”.
He described the response to Trump’s tariffs as “not just a short-term tactical exercise”.
The prime minister said Thursday: “It is the beginning of a new era, we need to understand that, just as we have for defence and security, we have to understand the changing world when it comes to trade and the economy.”
***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.***
David Lammy, addressing reporters as he arrived in Brussels to meet his NATO counterparts, said: “The United Kingdom, like France, is a great maritime nation. We are a nation that believes in open trade, and I regret the return to protectionism in the United States, something that we’ve not seen for nearly a century.”
The foreign secretary added: “As you know, we are consulting with business and industry. At this time, we are engaged in discussions with the United States to strike an economic agreement and an economic deal.
“And of course, we have been absolutely clear that all options are on the table as we ensure the national interests of the British people, who will be very concerned at this time about how this affects the bottom line for them and their economic welfare.
“We will put their national interest first, and it’s in their national interests to be negotiating with the United States an economic agreement at this time, but keeping all options on the table.”
Jeremy Hunt, the former chancellor of the exchequer, has revived the Brexiteer call to turn Britain into “Singapore-on-Thames” by making the UK a low-tax nation welcoming free trade in response to Trump’s tariffs.
Writing in the Telegraph, Hunt urged the prime minister to “resist the siren song of protectionism”, saying: “Countries like Singapore demonstrate, openness can still deliver excellent results. Over the last half century, its living standards have grown five times faster than ours.
“Those who deride the idea of “Singapore-on-Thames” fail to understand that the heart of their success has not been a harder-edged social policy but the building up of internationally competitive businesses through willingness to trade.
“But Singapore didn’t invent free trade. That honour belongs to Britain. Even if others turn their backs on it, we should remember the benefits of one of our greatest gifts to the world.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.
Source: Politics
