US President Donald Trump will inspect honorary security guards at Buckingham Palace in London on June 3, 2019.
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British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer told Downing Street business leaders on Thursday that President Donald Trump has a “order” to act in his country’s interests, but the UK has the right to deal with the 10% that the White House decides to impose on country imports.
Still, he called out for a “cool head.” The UK said, “Now we will move to the next stage of our plan.”
“The decisions we make in the next few days and weeks will only be guided by our national interests. For the benefit of our economy. For the benefit of the businesses around this table,” he said at a meeting at his official office on 10th Downing Street in London.
“Obviously there will be economic consequences from the decisions the US has taken both here and the world. But I want to be clear – we are ready,” he said.
UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds previously said he faces an open economy “threat” from global fallout from Trump’s new tariff regime.
The UK has fled relatively unharmed compared to many other countries. This faces the lowest baseline trade tariffs Trump announced on Wednesday.
The trade deficits, which the US operates with many of its trading partner partners, are largely used by the White House, calculating what levels of tariffs should be imposed on a particular country or territory.
While the UK recognizes it is in a better position than many countries, Reynolds said the UK is vulnerable to disruptions in other parts of the world, as there is a 20% tax on exports of goods to the US.
“As we are a much more globally oriented trade economy than some of our partners, anything that disrupts the global trading system is a threat to the UK,” Jonathan Reynolds told Times Radio on Thursday.
He said the government hopes to continue its work to attack trade contracts with the Trump administration and overturn tariffs. He did not rule out anti-measurements “if necessary.”
The UK wanted to emerge relatively unharmed from Trump’s tariff regime when it came to importing and exporting goods, given the more balanced trading relationship between the two countries, compared to other US trading partners.
One of Trump’s longtime Bug Bears is the US trade deficit with neighbors and competitors, including Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union.
The UK is already subject to a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports announced by Trump in February and a 25% mandate for “all cars not made in the US.” The latter came into effect Wednesday.
Starmer, British Prime Minister Kiel, on Downing Street, London on March 31, 2025.
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Prior to the tariffs, the UK wanted to sign a contract with the White House to avoid new obligations, but British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer tried to calm expectations by saying that tariffs were still likely.
Priorities said that while the UK continues to work on economic transactions with the US, “rapid progress” has been made, it warned that the agreement could take some time.
“No one wants to see the tariffs,” Starmer said. He told Sky News on monday. “We are working hard on a rapid progression of economic transactions and hopefully we can really implement a quick solution,” he said.
“The possibility is that there are tariffs. No one welcomes it. We are clearly working with the sectors that were most affected at pace on it. No one wants to see a trade war. But I have to act in the national interest.
UK Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Tuesday insisted the BBC that ongoing talks with the Trump administration meant Britain To reverse trade obligations, he was in the “best possible position of any country.”
