{"id":132552,"date":"2025-04-05T09:34:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T09:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trumps-10-tariffs-on-uk-come-into-effect-as-starmer-weighs-response-live-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2025-04-05T09:34:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T09:34:04","slug":"trumps-10-tariffs-on-uk-come-into-effect-as-starmer-weighs-response-live-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trumps-10-tariffs-on-uk-come-into-effect-as-starmer-weighs-response-live-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s 10% tariffs on UK come into effect as Starmer weighs response \u2013 live – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump\u2019s baseline 10% tariff on all imports from many countries has begun, with higher levies on 57 trading partners to start next week
Downing Street<\/strong> said that UK<\/strong> prime minister Keir Starmer<\/strong> spoke to Australian<\/strong> prime minister Anthony Albanese<\/strong> and Italian<\/strong> premier Giorgia Meloni<\/strong>, and had \u201cbeen clear the UK\u2019s response will be guided by the national interest\u201d.
Issuing a read-out of their separate conversations on Friday, No 10<\/strong> said the leaders \u201call agreed that an all-out trade war would be extremely damaging\u201d, reports the PA news agency.
A spokesperson said the PM \u201chas been clear the UK\u2019s response will be guided by the national interest\u201d and officials will \u201ccalmly continue with our preparatory work, rather than rush to retaliate\u201d.
The spokesperson added:
<\/path><\/svg>He discussed this approach with both leaders, acknowledging that while the global economic landscape has shifted this week, it has been clear for a long time that like-minded countries must maintain strong relationships and dialogue to ensure our mutual security and maintain economic stability.\u201d
It is expected that Starmer will take further calls with counterparts over the weekend.
Ministers have so far avoided criticism of Donald Trump<\/strong> as they seek to secure a trade agreement with the US<\/strong> which they hope could secure some exemption from the tariffs.
However, the government has drawn up a list of products that could be hit in retaliation, and is consulting with businesses on how any countermeasures could impact them.
Rachel Reeves<\/strong> said on Friday that the government is \u201cdetermined to get the best deal we can\u201d with Washington<\/strong>.
The chancellor said:
<\/path><\/svg>Of course, we don\u2019t want to see tariffs on UK exports, and we\u2019re working hard as a government in discussion with our counterparts in the US to represent the British national interest and support British jobs and British industry.\u201d
The Liberal Democrats<\/strong> have said that the government\u2019s \u201cattempts to appease the White House\u201d are not working, and called on ministers to coordinate a response with allies.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey<\/strong> said in a statement:
<\/path><\/svg>We need to end this trade war as quickly as possible, but the government\u2019s attempts to appease the White House and its offers to cut taxes on US tech billionaires simply aren\u2019t working.
Instead, the best way to end this crisis is to stand shoulder to shoulder with our European and Commonwealth friends. We must coordinate our response and strengthen our trading relations with our reliable allies. That\u2019s how we can protect our economy from Trump\u2019s bullying.\u201d
When Jonathan Reynolds<\/strong> gathered with officials around the large television screen in his office to watch Donald Trump<\/strong> unleash his global trade war<\/a>, he knew little more than anyone else about what was to come.
It was Wednesday night and the US<\/strong> president was about to upend a century of global trade<\/a> with the imposition of sweeping taxes on US imports from around the world.
Moments before Trump sauntered on stage, Reynolds had been told to expect a universal baseline tariff of 10% \u2013 but he did not know whether anything else would be imposed on top. The expectation in government was that the UK<\/strong> would be hit with a 20% rate, which the Treasury watchdog had warned could wipe 1% off UK GDP<\/a>.
As Trump brought out his sandwich board of global tariffs<\/a>, Reynolds and his team shared the frustration of many viewers across the world \u2013 the board kept slipping behind the White House<\/strong> lectern and obscuring the all-important figures next to countries\u2019 names.
It quickly became clear that the UK\u2019s rate was 10%, lower than the 20% rate for the EU<\/strong> \u2013 but the same baseline as the US had imposed on countries including Brazil<\/strong> and Afghanistan<\/strong>. Within minutes, Downing Street<\/strong> described this as a \u201cvindication\u201d of Keir Starmer<\/strong>\u2019s approach.
\u201cWhen we heard it was a flat 10% there was some relief because it could have been so much worse,\u201d one source said. \u201cIt also meant that they were true to their word about where we stood. That trust will be really important going forward.\u201d
No 10 has been criticised for \u201csucking up\u201d to Trump but getting little in return, but government sources argue that the tariff regime could have been substantially more damaging for the UK if they had not worked to develop good relations and put forward their own arguments.
They stress that the US was minded to include VAT \u2013 which has a standard rate of 20% and has been much maligned by Trump \u2013 in their calculations, but that Starmer made the case against this directly and publicly when he visited the White House in February<\/a>. \u201cWe were able to talk them down,\u201d a source said.
Ralph Goodale<\/strong>, the high commissioner for Canada<\/strong> in the UK<\/strong>, told the BBC\u2019s Radio 4 Today programme:
<\/path><\/svg>Our view is we have to stand firm. The action taken by the US government is completely illogical.
It will damage the United States itself. It will raise costs in the United States. It will eliminate jobs in the United States, it will reduce growth in the United States and we have to make it abundantly clear not just that that this is going to happen rhetorically, but the US has to feel the pain because ultimately it will be Americans who will persuade their government to stop this foolishness.\u201d
He said Canadian prime minister Mark Carney<\/strong>\u2019s firm stance was \u201cstrongly supported\u201d by the Canadian population:
<\/path><\/svg>I have never seen Canadians more united and more determined around an issue before.
Mr Carney\u2019s approach is very thoughtful, it\u2019s very measured and it is one that enjoys huge support from the Canadian population. Canadians are standing together on this like I\u2019ve never seen before.\u201d
He added:
<\/path><\/svg>When we are attacked we fight back and we stand up for ourselves in the world and we build our own economy to ensure that we are more insulated from this kind of abuse in the future.\u201d
Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s vast overhaul<\/a> of US<\/strong> trade policy this week has called time on an era of globalisation, alarming people,<\/a> governments and investors around the world. No one should have been surprised, <\/strong>the US president said.
The announcement of 10% to 50% tariffs on US trading partners tanked stock markets<\/a> after Trump unveiled a \u201cdeclaration of economic independence\u201d so drastic it drew comparison with Britain<\/strong>\u2019s exit from the European Union<\/strong> \u2013 Brexit<\/a>.
But Trump, who won re-election<\/a> promising that tariffs would make America great again, has advocated for the return of widespread tariffs<\/a> with \u201cgreat consistency\u201d for decades. \u201cI\u2019ve been talking about it for 40 years,\u201d he noted in the White House Rose Garden<\/strong>.
Many businesses<\/a>, economists<\/a> and politicians<\/a> believe Trump\u2019s trade plan is wrongheaded, flawed<\/a> and risky. Some have even suggested it might have been written by ChatGPT.<\/a> But he is unquestionably right when it comes to the number of decades he has argued for it.
\u201cThis is so unusual for Trump. He\u2019s a conventional politician in one way: he doesn\u2019t believe in much deeply,\u201d Larry Sabato<\/strong>, director of the Center for Politics<\/strong> at the University of Virginia<\/strong>. Tariffs<\/a> are different. \u201cThis one thing, he seems to deeply believe in.\u201d
Nissan Motor<\/strong> is considering shifting some domestic production of US<\/strong>-bound vehicles to the US, the Nikkei reported on Saturday, as president Donald Trump<\/strong> ramps up trade tariffs on nations worldwide.
As early as this summer, Nissan plans to reduce production at its Fukuoka<\/strong> factory in western Japan<\/strong> and shift some manufacturing of its Rogue SUV to the US to mitigate the impact of Trump\u2019s tariffs, the business newspaper said, without citing the source of its information.
The Japanese automaker\u2019s Rogue SUV, a popular model in the US market, is now produced in Fukuoka and the US, the report said, according to Reuters.
On Thursday, Nissan said it would not take new orders from the US for two Mexican<\/strong>-built Infiniti SUVs after earlier Trump tariff announcements, marking, a drastic scale-back of its operations at a joint venture plant.
The automaker now plans to maintain two shifts of production of the Rogue at its Smyrna<\/strong>, Tennessee<\/strong>, plant after announcing in January it would end one of the two shifts this month.
Nissan sold about 920,000 vehicles in the US last year, of which about 16% were exported from Japan, the Nikkei said, adding the planned production shift could hit local suppliers\u2019 businesses.
Italian<\/strong> economy minister Giancarlo Giorgetti<\/strong> warned on Saturday against the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on the United States<\/strong> in response to president Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s announcement of sweeping tariffs on trade partners.
Speaking at a business forum near Milan<\/strong>, Giorgetti said Italy was aiming for a \u201cde-escalation\u201d with the US, reports Reuters.
\u201cWe should avoid launching a policy of counter-tariffs that could be damaging for everyone and especially for us,\u201d Giorgetti said.
Under Trump\u2019s plans Italy, which has a large trade surplus with the US, will be subject to a general tariff of 20% along with other European Union<\/strong> countries.
\u201cThis is the single biggest trade action of our lifetime,\u201d said Kelly Ann Shaw<\/strong>, a trade lawyer at Hogan Lovells<\/strong> and former White House<\/strong> trade adviser during Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s first term.
According to Reuters, Shaw told a Brookings Institution<\/strong> event on Thursday that she expected the tariffs to evolve over time as countries sought to negotiate lower rates. \u201cBut this is huge. This is a pretty seismic and significant shift in the way that we trade with every country on Earth.\u201d
Trump\u2019s Wednesday tariff announcement shook global stock markets<\/a> to their core, wiping out $5tn in stock market value for S&P 500<\/strong> companies by Friday\u2019s close, a record two-day decline. Prices for oil and commodities plunged, while investors fled to the safety of government bonds.
Among the countries first hit with the 10% tariff are Australia<\/a><\/strong>, the <\/a>UK<\/a><\/strong>, Colombia<\/strong>, Argentina<\/strong>, Egypt<\/strong> and Saudi Arabia<\/strong>. A US Customs and Border Protection<\/strong> bulletin to shippers indicates no grace period for cargoes on the water at midnight on Saturday.
But a bulletin from the agency did provide a 51-day grace period for cargoes loaded on to vessels or planes and in transit to the US before 12.01am ET Saturday. These cargoes need arrive to by 12.01am ET on 27 May to avoid the 10% duty.
Donald Trump<\/strong> announced sweeping tariffs on some of the US<\/strong>\u2019s largest trading partners, upending decades of US trade policy and threatening to unleash a global trade war on what he has dubbed \u201cliberation day\u201d.
The president said he will impose a 10% universal tariff on all imported foreign goods in addition to \u201creciprocal tariffs\u201d on a few dozen countries, charging additional duties onto countries that Trump claims have \u201ccheated\u201d the US.
You can listen to his comments in the below video:
Downing Street<\/strong> said that UK<\/strong> prime minister Keir Starmer<\/strong> spoke to Australian<\/strong> prime minister Anthony Albanese<\/strong> and Italian<\/strong> premier Giorgia Meloni<\/strong>, and had \u201cbeen clear the UK\u2019s response will be guided by the national interest\u201d.
Issuing a read-out of their separate conversations on Friday, No 10<\/strong> said the leaders \u201call agreed that an all-out trade war would be extremely damaging\u201d, reports the PA news agency.
A spokesperson said the PM \u201chas been clear the UK\u2019s response will be guided by the national interest\u201d and officials will \u201ccalmly continue with our preparatory work, rather than rush to retaliate\u201d.
The spokesperson added:
<\/path><\/svg>He discussed this approach with both leaders, acknowledging that while the global economic landscape has shifted this week, it has been clear for a long time that like-minded countries must maintain strong relationships and dialogue to ensure our mutual security and maintain economic stability.\u201d
It is expected that Starmer will take further calls with counterparts over the weekend.
Ministers have so far avoided criticism of Donald Trump<\/strong> as they seek to secure a trade agreement with the US<\/strong> which they hope could secure some exemption from the tariffs.
However, the government has drawn up a list of products that could be hit in retaliation, and is consulting with businesses on how any countermeasures could impact them.
Rachel Reeves<\/strong> said on Friday that the government is \u201cdetermined to get the best deal we can\u201d with Washington<\/strong>.
The chancellor said:
<\/path><\/svg>Of course, we don\u2019t want to see tariffs on UK exports, and we\u2019re working hard as a government in discussion with our counterparts in the US to represent the British national interest and support British jobs and British industry.\u201d
The Liberal Democrats<\/strong> have said that the government\u2019s \u201cattempts to appease the White House\u201d are not working, and called on ministers to coordinate a response with allies.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey<\/strong> said in a statement:
<\/path><\/svg>We need to end this trade war as quickly as possible, but the government\u2019s attempts to appease the White House and its offers to cut taxes on US tech billionaires simply aren\u2019t working.
Instead, the best way to end this crisis is to stand shoulder to shoulder with our European and Commonwealth friends. We must coordinate our response and strengthen our trading relations with our reliable allies. That\u2019s how we can protect our economy from Trump\u2019s bullying.\u201d
Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s 10% tariff on UK<\/strong> products came into force on Saturday, as global stock markets continued to fall in response to the imposition of import taxes.
The FTSE 100<\/strong> plummeted on Friday in its worst day of trading since the start of the pandemic while markets on Wall Street<\/strong> also tumbled.
Keir Starmer<\/strong> is expected to spend the weekend speaking to foreign leaders about the tariffs, after calls with the prime ministers of Australia<\/strong> and Italy<\/strong> on Friday in which the leaders agreed that a trade war would be \u201cextremely damaging\u201d, reports the PA news agency.
The initial 10% \u201cbaseline\u201d tariff took effect at US<\/strong> seaports, airports and customs warehouses at 12.01am ET (0401 GMT), ushering in Trump\u2019s full rejection of the post-second world war system of mutually agreed tariff rates.
Many other countries will see their tariff rates increase above that next week \u2013 including the EU<\/strong> which will be hit with a 20% rate. A 25% tariff imposed on all foreign cars imported into the US came into effect on Thursday.
Trading across the world has been hammered in the aftermath of the US president\u2019s announcement at the White House<\/strong> on Wednesday.
Accoding to the PA news agency, London<\/strong>\u2019s top stock market index shed 419.75 points, or 4.95%, to close at 8,054.98 on Friday, the biggest single-day decline since March 2020 when the index lost more than 600 points in one day. The Dow Jones<\/strong> fell 5.5% on Friday as China<\/strong> matched Trump\u2019s tariff rate.
Beijing<\/strong> said it would respond with its own 34% tariff on imports of all US products from 10 April.
All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday, with Rolls-Royce<\/strong>, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.<\/p>\n

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Trump\u2019s baseline 10% tariff on all imports from many countries has begun, with higher levies on 57 trading partners to start next weekDowning Street said that UK prime minister Keir Starmer spoke to Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, and had \u201cbeen clear the UK\u2019s response will be guided by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}