KEIR Starmer sought to downplay the threat of American tariffs on the UK – as he insisted that Britain did not need to pick between close ties with the EU or the US.
Speaking at a Nato press conference in Brussels on Monday, the Prime Minister also insisted the military alliance remained viable, despite US president Donald Trump’s expected trade wars with Nato members and his threats to take over Greenland.
Starmer said: “On the question firstly of tariffs, obviously, it’s early days and I think what’s really important is open and strong trading relations.”
Asked about whether Nato remained a realistic alliance given the America First policies of the US president (below), secretary-general Mark Rutte said it was “silly” to suggest there could be “European defence without the US being involved”.
He added: “I am a staunch trans-Atlanticist. I absolutely believe that the best thing the West can do is to stay united and I know that the same thinking is still prevalent in the US, including in the White House.”
Starmer said that Britain was not in an “either or” scenario when it came to its ties with America or Europe.
The Prime Minister said: “If you look at our vital interests, it’s really important that we work with both and that we don’t see it as an either or.”
It comes after Trump delayed imposing sanctions on Mexico, in exchange for the country sending troops to its northern border to tackle drug trafficking.
Trump’s tariffs are due to come into force against China and Canada, which is also a Nato member, while the president said that the UK was "out of line", though he hoped a deal could be "worked out".
EU leaders have raised concerns that Trump’s threatened tariffs on European countries could spark discord among leading western nations.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk (above) said it would “be a cruel paradox if, during the time of this direct Russian threat and Chinese expansion”, that the EU and the US might end up in a “conflict among allies”.
French president Emmanuel Macron said the EU is “a power that stands its ground” and that if hit with tariffs, the bloc “would have to make itself respected”. He said Trump’s threats are “pushing Europeans to be more united, more active in addressing their collective security challenges”.
At Monday’s press conference, Rutte argued that Europe had a strong hand in seeking to avoid US tariffs, pointing out the EU had a $131 billion trade surplus with America.
