Learning From Canada’s Mistakes, Britain and Australia Say They Won’t Confront Trump on Tariffs

The United Kingdom and Australia appear to be seeking to avoid repeating the mistakes of fellow Anglosphere American ally Canada of antagonising President Donald Trump, saying that while they regret steel tariffs, they nevertheless would not be reciprocating.

While the likes of Canada and the European Union have taken a combative path, deciding to match Trump’s tariffs or even go further in a bid to — as they see it — win against America, close allies the United Kingdom and Australia have taken a more subtle approach.

Although Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom—alongside New Zealand—are all strongly tied to the U.S. through the world’s closest intelligence alliance, America, the UK, and Australia are further bound in the ‘AUKUS’ submarine alliance, adding a further industrial aspect to the friendship.

London called President Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium “disappointing” but said it would not retaliate. The UK government’s business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said they intended to “continue to engage closely and productively with the U.S.” and to press the case for British interests. This means being “focused on a pragmatic approach” and “rapidly negotiating a wider economic agreement with the U.S. to eliminate additional tariffs and to benefit U.K. businesses and our economy.”

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is on a mission to sign a major trade deal with the U.S., something which had been on the table during the last Trump administration but which the incapable former Conservative government in London failed to grasp before the coming of the Anglophobic Biden presidency.

The tariffs on metals also mean less to the United Kingdom. Once the global powerhouse for steel production, the country has rapidly de-industrialised and steel is no longer a meaningful part of the economy. This dependence on imports — and particularly on China — has frequently been cited as a national security concern, but worry has never reached a level where the government has actually been moved to act meaningfully.

Australia, meanwhile, once ruled from London, and then bound close by former dominion status and common racial and cultural heritage with the United Kingdom, appears to be taking a similar approach of being friendly to Trump while negotiating for preferential treatment as an ally.

While Australia put up the token resistance of decrying tariffs in general as unjustified and harmful, nevertheless, the country said, “Australia will not be imposing reciprocal tariffs on the United States”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country is working on getting the same deal they got in 2018 when Trump exempted the country from tariffs then because Australian steel is a major U.S. employer.

These moves contrast severely with fellow Commonwealth state Canada, which has tried to square up to the Trump White House, only to be hit even harder with tariffs.