UK Says ‘Calm and Pragmatic’ Engagement With Trump on Tariffs, No Trade War

Wednesday is President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ to remake the United States’ trade relationships with the world, and while blocs like the European Union and nations like Canada are in panic mode, the United Kingdom is emphasising calm, working with Trump, and seeking a deal.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the left-wing Labour party, but who has nevertheless assiduously worked to cultivate a working relationship with President Trump during his time in office, rejected a belligerent stance toward the U.S. on Wednesday, saying the UK will engage in “constructive talks” on trade instead.

“A trade war is in nobody’s interest and the country deserves, and we will take, a calm, pragmatic approach”, Starmer said in Britain’s Parliament on Wednesday morning, saying government negotiators were in “constructive talks” with their U.S. counterparts to agree a “wider economic prosperity deal”.

The UK government had hoped to have a deal exempting the country from tariffs before today, and while that deadline may be narrowly missed, nevertheless, The Times political editor Steven Swinford relates that a deal should be struck in days.

UK opposition party the Liberal Democrats challenged Starmer to defy Trump today, calling on him to lead a ‘coalition of the willing’ to fight Trump, rather than work with him. Starmer said he would rather be pragmatic on the tariff issue, replying that it would be “the wrong choice” and saying: “We have a balanced trade relationship with the US, and I believe that our interests are best served by calmly trying to secure a deal which is in our national interest, whilst at the same time preparing and leaving all options on the table.”

Britain’s The Guardian reported comments from Starmer ally Bridget Phillipson, who leads the government’s education ministry, hitting similar talking points this morning. While saying the immediate tariff era “is likely to be a very challenging period”, negotiations on a deal are underway. The government is maintaining “a calm and quite pragmatic approach during this time and not engage in a kneejerk response, because the last thing that anybody would want is a trade war with the US,” she added.

The position of the UK government, ideologically very far from the Trump administration but pragmatically aware of the potential of being a preferred partner to the U.S. at a time when other Western nations set their faces in defiance against Trump, is notably distinct from the European Union, for instance.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the bloc was ready to “push back” against the U.S. if required, saying “we have a strong plan to retaliate if necessary”.