Keir Starmer rules out retaliatory tariffs against US

Keir Starmer has ruled out imposing retaliatory tariffs on the United States, saying they would be the “wrong thing to do”, after Donald Trump threatened them against Nato allies to try to secure Greenland.The prime minister said US tariffs would damage the British economy and were “in no one’s interests”. The UK would instead prefer to address the issue through “calm discussion” between allies, he added.But at an emergency press conference in Downing Street, he said that despite Trump’s threats, he did not think the US president was genuinely considering taking military action in the Arctic territory.“I think that this can be resolved, and should be resolved, through calm discussion,” he said.“Any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the kingdom of Denmark alone. That right is fundamental,” he continued.Starmer said he was determined to keep the UK-US relationship “strong, constructive and focused on results”, adding that defence and security ties between the two countries were in the national interest.But he added: “Threatening tariffs on allies is the wrong thing to do, completely wrong.”The firm stance could place Starmer on a collision course with the US after Trump said he would place sanctions on eight European nations, including the UK, that have deployed troops to Greenland in response to US threats over its future.Starmer told reporters: “A trade war is not in our interests, and therefore my first task is to ensure we don’t get to that place, which is what I’m focused on at the moment …“I don’t want to lose sight of the central goal here, which is to avoid the seriousness that a trade war would bring.”He added: “We must find a pragmatic, sensible, sustained way through this, that avoids some of the consequences that will be very serious for our country.”Starmer defended his diplomatic approach to Trump, despite growing pressure at home to condemn him more forcefully, underlining the security relationship.“I do emphasise, whatever the understandable reaction of the British public over the weekend, it is – on defence and security and intelligence and nuclear capability – manifestly in our interests to have a strong relationship with the US.”But he added: “Alliances endure because they’re built on respect and partnership, not pressure, that is why I said the use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong.“Strong, respectful alliances require the maturity to say where we disagree, and on this we disagree, and I’ve been clear about that, and I’ve spoken to the president about it will continue to do so.”The EU is weighing up retaliatory tariffs on American goods and even deploying its most serious economic sanctions against the US. European leaders have lined up to criticise Trump’s threat to levy new taxes on imports.Starmer said he was talking to EU leaders as well as commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, and there was “proper unity and coordination” in the European response.