Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer watched the announcement from his flat, Chancellor Rachel Reeves from her study, and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds from his office in Old Admiralty Arch. Ministers can only dream of having that kind of power now, as the UK watches in growing horror at the bust-up between the US and China. “Sometimes people don’t realise they are living through a moment of history,” a cabinet minister notes. Trump has slapped a 10% tariff on all nations – including the UK – for imports into the US, and much higher rates on some countries, including China, which has responded with fresh tariffs of its own. The PM is spending another dramatic weekend working the phones from the peace of his country pad, Chequers. The other calls that could really matter, from US negotiators, have not yet resumed. Trump dangled a possible trade deal that might exempt the UK from some of the costs from tariffs during the pair’s chummy White House press conference in February. The US will impose at least a 10% tariff on all imports, with even higher rates for certain countries. The UK government is going slow on hitting back, but is cracking heads to crack on with their existing plans faster.
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