Trade war in no-one's interest, says PM in face of Trump threats

"Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said a trade war is in "no-one's interest" after Donald Trump threatened to impose a 10% tax on imports from the UK and other countries who oppose his plans to take control of Greenland. Making a speech in Downing Street, Sir Keir said the "right approach" was "through calm discussion" and that retaliatory tariffs on the US were "not the right way to resolve differences"."

"He reiterated his belief that decisions about the island should rest with the people of Greenland and Denmark. Principle "cannot be set aside", he said, but he vowed to take a "pragmatic" approach, emphasising both the economic and military importance of the UK-US relationship. He said the situation was "very serious" and that it was a "moment for the whole country to pull together"."

"He welcomed the support he had received from the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on the issue of Greenland and criticised those who "think an angry social media post or grandstanding is a substitute for hard work". "It may make politicians feel good, but it does nothing for working people whose jobs, livelihoods and security rely on the relationships we build across the world." Defending his decision to pursue a close relationship with Trump, the prime minister said it had delivered "hundreds of billions of pounds" of investment. Asked if he would consider imposing retaliatory tariffs, the prime minister replied: "We have not got to that stage, my focus is making sure we don't get to that stage.""

The Prime Minister rejected a trade war and warned that retaliatory tariffs would be harmful after US threats of a 10% tax linked to Greenland. Decisions about Greenland should rest with the people of Greenland and Denmark, and principle cannot be set aside. A pragmatic approach will balance the economic and military importance of the UK–US relationship. Support from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was welcomed and political grandstanding was criticised as unhelpful to working people. Close ties with the US were defended as having delivered substantial investment while efforts focus on avoiding escalation to tariffs.

Read at www.bbc.com