Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said a trade war is in “no-one’s interest” after Donald Trump threatened to impose a 10% tax on imports from the UK and other countries who oppose his plans to take control of Greenland.
Making a speech from Downing Street, Sir Keir said the “right approach” was “through calm discussion” and that the use of tariffs against allies was “not the right way to resolve differences”.
He reiterated his belief that decisions about the island should rest with the people of Greenland and Denmark.
Principle “cannot be set aside”, he said, but he vowed to take a “pragmatic” approach, emphasising both the economic and military importance of the UK-US relationship.
He said he did not believe Trump was genuinely considering military action against Greenland.
While seeking to diffuse tensions, the Prime Minister stressed that the situation was “very serious” and said it was a “moment for the whole country to pull together”.
He welcomed the support offered by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch in regards to Greenland and potential tariffs.
Trump’s threat had, he said, been “very badly received” in the UK but warned against “performative” or “grandstanding” actions.
“It may make politicians feel good, but it does nothing for working people whose jobs, livelihoods and security rely on the relationships we build across the world.”
Sir Keir defended his decision to pursue a close relationship with Trump, arguing that it had help deliver “hundreds of billions of pounds” of investment in the UK.
During his speech and the subsequent question session, he also made repeated references to US-UK co-operation on defence, nuclear capability and intelligence.
Asked if he would consider imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US, the Prime Minister replied: “We have not got to that stage, my focus is making sure we don’t get to that stage.”
On Monday night, Sir Keir spoke to the Prime Ministers of Canada and Italy, Mark Carney and Giorgia Meloni, and explained the UK and its allies need to reassure Trump they are ready to defend the Arctic from Russia and China.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “He said that it was in everybody’s interests to go further to deliver on Arctic security, and that the UK stands ready to contribute fully alongside our allies through NATO.”
European leaders are expected to raise the future of Greenland with Trump this week when he travels to Davos for the World Economic Forum gathering.
French President Emmanuel Macron has hinted he wants to impose counter-tariffs saying the EU should deploy its “trade bazooka”, but Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has expressed concerns about the mutual cost of a trade war.
The Prime Minister is not currently due to attend Davos but it remains an option as the week progresses.
Over the weekend, a small French military contingent travelled to Greenland as part of a so-called reconnaissance mission. The deployment also involved Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK.
Asked if Trump had incorrectly interpreted the visit as a hostile act towards the US, Sir Keir said: “This is one of the things I discussed with President Trump yesterday.
“Those forces were clearly there to assess and work on the risk from the Russians – there is real clarity, I hope, about that.”
He added that Europe needed “to step up and do more on its own defence and security”.
BBC
