David Lammy has accused Donald Trump of “protectionism” after he unveiled sweeping tariffs on all imports into the United States.
The foreign secretary’s comments are the strongest criticism of the US president by a British cabinet minister since Trump made his announcement on Wednesday.
Under the new trading regime, a 10% tariff will be applied on all UK imports into America. That is on top of the 25% tax being applied to cars and steel products.
Speaking in Brussels, where he is attending a Nato meeting, Lammy said: “We are a nation that believes in open trade, and I regret the return to protectionism in the United States, something that we’ve not seen for nearly a century.”
The government has launched a month-long consultation with UK businesses to gauge their thoughts on possible retaliatory tariffs on American goods.
Lammy added: “At this time, we are engaged in discussions with the United States to strike an economic agreement and an economic deal.
“And of course, we have been absolutely clear that all options are on the table as we ensure the national interests of the British people, who will be very concerned at this time about how this affects the bottom line for them and their economic welfare.”
Earlier, Treasury minister James Murray rejected Trump’s bizarre claim that Keir Starmer was “very happy” at the tariffs being imposed on the UK.
He told Times Radio: “We are disappointed at tariffs being imposed globally.
“We are in a better position than many other economies moving forward, because we’re in the lowest band of tariffs.
“But our goal is to get that economic deal. And as you know we have been negotiating intensely since the prime minister went to Washington earlier in the year, and those negotiations now continue at pace, because we know that getting that deal is in the best interest of the UK.”
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