Starmer and Trump hold ‘productive’ call but Britain still ‘expects US tariffs this week’: UK politics lates

Keir Starmer is considering retaliation measures against the US after abandoning the hope that the UK could avoid direct rates this week that will be unleashed by Donald Trump.

The prime minister suggested that he could follow the EU and Canada’s lead on retaliation tariffs and promised to “act in the national interest” and “leave everything on the table”.

At the beginning of last week, there was optimism that the UK would avoid direct levies that were planned for the EU, China and Canada, among others. And there was even a hope that the British/American trade transaction would still be completed in time for April 2.

But a very placed source acknowledged that as soon as President Trump confirmed 25 percent rates on imported vehicles last Wednesday, “negotiations became much more difficult” for the British government.

Tell another source The independent: “After the business with cars, rates now look inevitable.”

Read the full story by The independent Political correspondent David Maddox here:

The US President’s self -styled “Liberation Day” – in which rates will be clapped on goods around the world – was set on Wednesday, April 2.

He promised to impose a series of ‘reciprocal’ rates on the US trading partners, which he believes will increase the US economy.

This could include a general tax on 20 percent on UK products in response to the VAT rate, something that experts warn, the British economy can shrink by 1 percent.

Mr. Trump has already announced a 25 percent import tax on all cars imported to the US, a measure that is expected to hit British luxury car manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin.

The UK will be hit by US rates this week despite a ‘productive’ phone call between Sir Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump over a trade transaction, fears officials.

British representatives are racing on Wednesday to avoid the self-style of the self-style of Mr Trump, in which high rates will be slapped on imported goods from around the world.

They hope to acquire a “UK-US Economic Wealth Agreement” that will release British goods from rates on imports to America.

But officials fear that by this date they will not have agreed an agreement, and hope to renegotiate the rates in the future, according to The guardian.