Ex-British ambassador to US who criticized Trump urges Starmer not to concede on retaliatory tariffs
Former United Kingdom Ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take a robust stance against President Trump's threats of retaliatory tariffs, saying the U.K. should avoid giving Trump 'wins.'
Darroch — who famously called Trump 'inept' and 'dysfunctional' as ambassador during Trump's first term — warned that conceding to Trump will signal weakness and might invite additional threats of tariffs down the line.
'It's understandable that, faced with deeply damaging U.S. tariffs on British cars, steel and aluminium, the government should think about concessions like reducing digital tax,' Darroch said in an interview with The Observer, according to a Guardian report published Saturday.
'But they need to be wary of giving Trump wins,' Darroch added. 'Tariffs are his all-purpose forcing mechanism, and he'll use them again and again if he sees them working.'
Darroch encouraged Starmer to model his approach after that of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has pledged to retaliate with tariffs of his own. His tough response to Trump in Canada has rallied support for his party and appears to have had a softening effect on Trump.
'They should note the dramatic turnaround in Canadian politics, where on the back of a robust and defiant response to U.S. tariff threats, Mark Carney's Liberals have gone from 14 points behind the Canadian Conservative Party at the end of January to 8 points ahead last week,' Darroch said.
The White House is expected to announce reciprocal tariffs on April 2 for a range of nations after months of unexpected new international trade policies. Ahead of what Trump has called 'liberation day' on Wednesday, foreign leaders have been working to persuade Washington to stand down on additional tariffs, fearing the U.S. president could trigger a global trade war. He has already announced 25 percent tariffs on imports of cars, steel and aluminum.
Trump has proposed giving certain nations exemptions from levies but has waited to reveal more about his encroaching policies until the actual deadline.
'I may give a lot of countries breaks. It's reciprocal, but we might be even nicer than that. You know, we've been very nice to a lot of countries for a long time,' Trump told reporters Monday at the White House.
'We may take less than what they're charging, because they've charged us so much I don't think they could take it. But it will be substantial.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sparse Attendance, Confusion and Disorganization: Dismal Scenes From Trump's Military Parade
Donald Trump threw a military parade in honor of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary on Saturday, June 14 (a date that happens to be the president's birthday) to the tune of $25 to $45 million. But unfortunately for Trump, photos and videos from the big day show sparse attendance and a lack of organization from top to bottom. I just got back from the Trump parade and I have to say it was legitimately the worst executed mass attendance event I've ever seen One overarching thought: how do you spend $80 million and fumble the basics?Many more thoughts – — Doug Landry (@dougblandry) June 15, 2025 50 Thirteen founder Doug Landry shared a series of tweets that documented many issues with the parade Saturday. Landry described the event as 'legitimately the worst executed mass attendance event I've ever seen' before sharing photos of a sparsely populated Washington Mall, the single checkpoint to which approximately 15,000 people were sent, maps that failed to offer clear direction, dozens of empty checkpoints, and empty VIP bleachers. Those scenes were replicated by HuffPost deputy editor Phil Lewis, who shared his own photos on BlueSky. YouTube Brian Tyler Cohen slammed the event on the same platform. 'Donald Trump does NOT want you to share this footage of his pathetically tiny birthday parade crowd,' he captioned a video of attendees. Trump shared a portion of his speech from the event on Truth Social, as well as an uncharacteristically brief summation of the day: 'What a GREAT Parade. THANK YOU, ARMY!' The parade prompted several 'No Kings' rallies and protests held on the same day across the United States. The post Sparse Attendance, Confusion and Disorganization: Dismal Scenes From Trump's Military Parade appeared first on TheWrap.
Axios
12 minutes ago
- Axios
Denver police arrest 36 during anti-ICE protests
Denver police arrested 36 people during a protest downtown Saturday night, deploying smoke and pepper balls to disperse crowds, multiple news outlets reported. Why it matters: The use of crowd-control measures like smoke was an escalation from earlier Saturday, when thousands of anti-Trump marchers participating in the "No Kings" protest remained largely peaceful. State of play: An anti-ICE demonstration organized by the Denver Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL Denver) started shortly after the initial "No Kings" protest ended downtown around 4pm. Some of the people who participated in the evening protest were also part of the earlier demonstration, Axios observed Saturday. Yes, but: DPD said "the vast majority of people" participating in the "No Kings" protest left after the event ended. A separate group of people were protesting Saturday night when the arrests occurred, police said. Between the lines: Protesters were arrested on investigative charges including failure to obey a lawful order, obstruction of streets, and unlawful throwing of projectiles, police said Sunday. At least one group attempted to enter I-25 near 20th and Blake streets, while others allegedly threw objects including rocks and bottles at police officers. Officers used loudspeakers to discourage people from entering the highway, though some protesters tried pushing through a line of officers, which DPD declared an "unlawful assembly," per Denver 7. Between the lines: Police used pepper balls and launched smoke, but did not use tear gas, a department spokesperson told CBS Colorado.
Newsweek
13 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Over 30 More Countries Could Be Put on Travel Ban by US—Reports
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Trump administration is floating the idea of adding 36 more countries to its travel ban that began earlier this month, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by The Washington Post and Reuters. A spokesperson for the State Department told Newsweek in a Sunday email: "The Department does not comment on internal deliberations or communications, but we are constantly reevaluating policies to ensure the safety of Americans and that foreign nationals follow our laws." Why It Matters Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation restricting travel by foreigners from 12 countries and partially restricting entry from an additional seven countries. The ban, which Trump said is to "protect the nation from foreign terrorist and other national security and public safety threats," went into effect on June 9. Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump has cracked down on foreign nationals in the United States, mainly through executive orders, and has prioritized immigration enforcement as a key pillar of his agenda. During his first administration, Trump imposed a ban that barred people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Critics then and now, have called out the restrictions as xenophobic and racist. What To Know The internal cable, which was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days," as reported by Reuters. The weekend memo was first reported by The Washington Post and includes 25 African nations, as well as several Pacific Island nations, Caribbean, and Central Asian. The countries mentioned in the cable that may face a potential partial or full ban are: Angola Antigua and Barbuda Benin Bhutan Burkina Faso Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Cote D'Ivoire Democratic Republic of Congo Djibouti Dominica Ethiopia Egypt Gabon The Gambia Ghana Kyrgyzstan Liberia Malawi Mauritania Niger Nigeria Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Sao Tome and Principe Senegal South Sudan Syria Tanzania Tonga Tuvalu Uganda Vanuatu Zambia Zimbabwe Some of the countries under consideration, such as Egypt, are key U.S. diplomatic partners and receive American military aid. When asked earlier this month why Egypt wasn't on the original list, Trump responded, "Because Egypt has been a country that we deal with very closely. They have things under control." Djibouti hosts Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa. The countries would be in addition to the 12 fully restricted countries of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and the seven partially restricted, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, that Trump already limited. There are, however, some exceptions to the restrictions, including certain visas. The Washington Post identified the benchmarks in the memo as regarding lack of "competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents," or experiencing "widespread government fraud." Immigration also played a role in their potential selection, with some reportedly having large numbers of citizens who overstayed their visas in the U.S. The memo also touched on ideology, reportedly saying, there were accounts of "antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States" by some people from those countries. Trump announced the first version of the ban earlier this month after citing national security concerns following a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, when Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, carried out a firebombing attack at a pro-Israel rally, injuring 12 people. Trump has detained several vocal pro-Palestinian voices, most notably Mahmoud Khalil. President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House on June 12 in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House on June 12 in Washington, D.C. AP Photo/Alex Brandon What People Are Saying A spokesperson for the State Department told Newsweek in an email Sunday: "The Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process." Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnès Callamard said in a press release on June 5: "President Trump's new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel. By targeting people based on their race, religion, or nationality, from countries with predominantly Black, Brown and Muslim-majority populations, this blanket ban constitutes racial discrimination under international human rights law. It also spreads hate and disinformation, reinforcing the misleading idea that certain populations are more likely to pose security risks or engage in acts of violence." Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, wrote in a June 4 X, formerly Twitter, post: "This is Trump's reckless first term travel ban all over again. Just like before, Trump's expanded ban on travelers from around the world will not improve our national security and will only further isolate the U.S. from the rest of world. Bigotry is not a national security strategy." What Happens Next? It remains unclear whether the State Department will move forward with the additions or when the countries might face restrictions if they fail to meet certain requirements.
