The president of the United States has said he is “getting along very well” with Keir Starmer and suggested a UK-US trade dispute could be resolved without tariffs.
The comments came as Trump unveiled tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China, which are due to kick in this week. He has also been clear that the European Union (EU) is next in line.
Asked by BBC News in a stop at the Joint Base Andrews air force facility whether he will target the UK with tariffs, Trump said: “It might happen with that, but it will definitely happen with the European Union.”
Taking aim at the EU, Trump said: “They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our farm products. They take almost nothing, and we take everything from the millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products.
“So the UK is way out of line, and we’ll see the UK, but [the] European Union is really out of line.
“The UK is out of line, but I’m sure that one — I think that one can be worked out. But the European Union, it’s an atrocity what they’ve done.”
UK PM Keir Starmer has held a series of calls with the US president, repeatedly stressing the significance of the so-called “special relationship” between the two countries.
***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.***
Speaking to reporters early on Monday, Trump said that discussions with Starmer have “been very nice”.
He said: “Well, prime minister Starmer has been very nice. We’ve had a couple of meetings. We’ve had numerous phone calls. We’re getting along very well.
“We’ll see whether or not we can balance out our budget.”
Responding to Trump’s comments, a UK government spokesperson said: “The US is an indispensable ally and one of our closest trading partners, and we have a fair and balanced trading relationship which benefits both sides of the Atlantic.
“We look forward to working closely with president Trump to continue to build on UK-US trading relations for our economy, businesses and the British people.”
Starmer is in Brussels on Monday as he becomes the first UK prime minister to join a gathering of EU leaders since Brexit. The trip is part of what Starmer calls a “reset” between the UK and the European Union.
“I’m here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin’s war machine”, the prime minister said.
“Because ultimately, alongside our military support, that is what will bring peace closer.”
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
