
As Trump throws bricks at UK plc, we need to work out who our friends are
'Events' keep on making life complicated for Britain's beleaguered government.
A case in point: just a day after confirming that disabled people will have to carry the burden of making her sums add up, chancellor Rachel Reeves and the rest of the cabinet have found themselves facing an orange grenade. Donald Trump is imposing 25 per cent tariffs on car imports into the United States.
We need a sense of proportion here. After the EU, the United States is the UK car industry 's largest export market. But, when it comes to from where the US imports most of its motors, our assembly plants lag behind those of Japan, South Korea, Canada, Germany and especially Mexico.
Moreover, the sort of people who can afford to buy some of the UK's luxury marques – think Jaguars, Bentleys, and Aston Martins – are less sensitive to price than those who rely upon more work-a-day vehicles sent up over the border from Baja California, or using parts made in Canada.
But the tariffs will still hurt what remains an important industry for the UK – doubly so in manufacturing, an area that has been struggling. It is the last thing that Reeves and co need, coming on top of the tariffs the UK has already had imposed on its transatlantic steel exports.
Manufacturing matters, even if it is dwarfed by the gigantic service sector. It can and does provide the sort of relatively well-paying jobs Labour would like to see more of. They are certainly preferable to entry-level positions in the service sector. Just ask people living in regions affected by de-industrialisation, where call centres and warehouses have replaced metal-bashers and miners.
The sector's troubles have dragged down the UK's stuttering economic performance at a time when the government is desperately trying to find growth.
The closely watched, forward-looking Purchasing Managers Indices (PMI) produced by S&P Global have been telling a grim story. The flash results for March showed UK manufacturing in a slough of despond, recording a 17-month low of 44.6, where anything above 50 indicates growth. By contrast, the service sector turned in a score of 53.2, which is a seven-month high.
Trump's trade vandalism thus looks like a raised middle finger spray-painted across a map of the UK's struggling manufacturing hubs.
The government's response has, for a change, been cautious and mature. It stands as an all-too-rare example of sensible policymaking in stark contrast to 'desperately throwing stuff against a wall in the hope that something will stick with the public', which was how one insider put it to me.
The attempt to negotiate – and make the point that the UK does not run a chunky trade surplus with the US, according to the perferred US measure (the one the UK uses has it the other way around) – is similarly wise, even as the parties on Labour's left flank (Lib Dems, Greens and the SNP) pout and posture. Retaliating immediately with tariffs of our own would hurt more than help.
However, we can't escape the fact that this does rather make the point that if there ever was a 'special relationship', the thing the UK's vocal and influential corps of Atlanticists have always hung their hats on, it is now dead and buried. Trump has thrown a tin of petrol over its rotting corpse. If the negotiations fail – and is anyone terribly hopeful at this point? – this would be him lobbing a lit match over his right shoulder as he heads off for a round of golf at Mar-a-Lago.
That the UK is in this uncomfortable position only emphasis the profound act of economic and geopolitical self-harm that was Brexit. However vexatious and irksome people find Brussels, before or since, the EU has never done anything like this, has never even contemplated such wanton thuggery. To the contrary. Keir Starmer's election win saw it making overtures of friendship – swiftly and stupidly rebuffed – to the new Labour government by dangling a youth mobility scheme that would allow young Britons to live and work across the continent.
If the UK's attempt to talk its way out of this potential economic jam fails, it might serve as an opportune time to take a step back and consider where its economic interests really lie, how they are best served – and who our friends are.
There is an easy answer, sitting across the Channel. When you're a mid-sized player, there is value to being part of a club, even if, for now, that would mean being a partial, semi-detached member of the gang without access to the treehouse.
Labour needs to wake up and see that a genuine effort to pursue closer ties with Britain's friends would be a smart move, economically and geopolitically, at a time when the world seems to be getting more hostile by the day.
alienating the people who voted for it with wild abandon could really use right now.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Rhyl Journal
22 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
SNP came ‘frustratingly close' to victory in Hamilton, says Swinney
Scottish Labour's Davy Russell won a surprise victory on Thursday, with the SNP coming second and Reform in third. The by-election had been sparked by the death of Scottish Government minister and SNP MSP, Christina McKelvie, who had held the seat since 2011, with the party hoping to keep it in the fold. Despite the First Minister's claim that the contest was a straight fight between the SNP and Nigel Farage's surging Reform UK, the Labour candidate won with 8,559 votes to the 7,957 of the SNP's Katy Loudon. Speaking to the PA news agency in Glasgow, the First Minister said the party had made 'modest progress' since its collapse at last year's general election – when it dropped from 48 MPs to just nine – but had further to go. 'We had a very strong campaign in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse,' he said. 'We had hundreds of members of the party that came to make their contribution to the by-election campaign – we've got to build on that. 'We've got to learn the lessons of the by-election. 'We came very close, it was frustratingly close.' Coming second in the vote, the First Minister said, is an 'indication that we are still able to perform strongly electorally'. The First Minister added that his party lost the overlapping seat at Westminster – Hamilton and Clyde Valley – by 9,000 votes last year and by just 600 on Thursday. 'So, we are quite clearly in a position where we can achieve electoral success, but we have got to build on that and make sure we're stronger for 2026,' he said. In the final weeks of the campaign, the First Minister predicted the contest would be between his party and Reform UK but, asked if such an assertion – which turned out to be wrong – cast doubt on the data used by the SNP, he appeared to suggest it was based on his own perception. 'I'm just making two points about the by-election, two observations,' he said. 'One was that Labour support was collapsing, and from last year to Thursday, Labour support collapsed by 20%, came down from 50% to 30%. 'And I observed, secondly, that Reform support was surging and it was, so my analysis of the by-election was absolutely correct. 'I simply said to people if you want to stop Reform, vote for the SNP.' Despite the by-election loss, the party continues to lead in the polls ahead of next year, with Mr Swinney saying the Government must 'deliver on the priorities of the people of Scotland'.

Rhyl Journal
22 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Martin Lewis: Winter fuel payment changes 'big improvement'
The payment, worth up to £300, will be restored to the vast majority of pensioners who previously received it because anyone with an income of under £35,000 a year will now get the payment automatically. Martin Lewis tweeted: Winter Fuel Payment to be reinstated for all State Pensioners this winter, but then clawed back via tax system for all who earn over £35,000 (roughly average earnings). This is a big improvement. Full instant analysis video coming with all the details in a minute. #WinterFuelPayment NEWS. Winter Fuel Payment to be reinstated for all State Pensioners this winter, but then clawed back via tax system for all who earn over £35,000 (roughly average earnings). This is a big improvement. Full instant analysis video coming with all the details in a minute.… The full details were announced here. Devolved authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland will each receive a funding uplift so they too can meet the new threshold. Pensioners who do not want to receive the payment will be able to opt out, according to the Treasury. The decision to limit the winter fuel payment to only those who claimed pension credit was one of Labour's first acts in Government, aimed at balancing what was described as a £22 billion 'black hole' in the public finances. This meant the number of pensioners receiving the payment was reduced by around 10 million, from 11.4 million to 1.5 million. The Treasury claims the new arrangement will cost £1.25 billion in England and Wales, while means-testing winter fuel will save the taxpayer £450 million. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: 'Targeting winter fuel payments was a tough decision but the right decision because of the inheritance we had been left by the previous government. 'It is also right that we continue to means test this payment so that it is targeted and fair, rather than restoring eligibility to everyone including the wealthiest. 'But we have now acted to expand the eligibility of the winter fuel payment so no pensioner on a lower income will miss out. 'This will mean over three-quarters of pensioners receiving the payment in England and Wales later this winter.' Video done, just working on adding subtitles, then it'll be up, it answers most of the questions i'm seeing Those with an income above this threshold will also receive the payment, but it will then be reclaimed from them in tax. To be eligible for the winter fuel allowance, a person will need to have reached state pension age by the week starting September 15 this year. Some two million pensioners who earn more than £35,000 will see their winter fuel payments clawed back via the taxman, the Treasury estimates. But, Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Opposition, claimed the Prime Minister had 'scrambled to clear up a mess of his own making'. Recommended reading: Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'Finally the Chancellor has listened to the Liberal Democrats and the tireless campaigners in realising how disastrous this policy was, but the misery it has caused cannot be overstated. 'Countless pensioners were forced to choose between heating and eating all whilst the Government buried its head in the sand for months on end, ignoring those who were really suffering. 'We will now study the detail of this proposal closely to make sure those who need support actually get that support. The pain they went through this winter cannot be for nothing.'

Western Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
SNP came ‘frustratingly close' to victory in Hamilton, says Swinney
Scottish Labour's Davy Russell won a surprise victory on Thursday, with the SNP coming second and Reform in third. The by-election had been sparked by the death of Scottish Government minister and SNP MSP, Christina McKelvie, who had held the seat since 2011, with the party hoping to keep it in the fold. Despite the First Minister's claim that the contest was a straight fight between the SNP and Nigel Farage's surging Reform UK, the Labour candidate won with 8,559 votes to the 7,957 of the SNP's Katy Loudon. Speaking to the PA news agency in Glasgow, the First Minister said the party had made 'modest progress' since its collapse at last year's general election – when it dropped from 48 MPs to just nine – but had further to go. 'We had a very strong campaign in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse,' he said. 'We had hundreds of members of the party that came to make their contribution to the by-election campaign – we've got to build on that. 'We've got to learn the lessons of the by-election. Labour's Davy Russell, right, is congratulated by Anas Sarwar and Dame Jackie Baillie (Jane Barlow/PA) 'We came very close, it was frustratingly close.' Coming second in the vote, the First Minister said, is an 'indication that we are still able to perform strongly electorally'. The First Minister added that his party lost the overlapping seat at Westminster – Hamilton and Clyde Valley – by 9,000 votes last year and by just 600 on Thursday. 'So, we are quite clearly in a position where we can achieve electoral success, but we have got to build on that and make sure we're stronger for 2026,' he said. In the final weeks of the campaign, the First Minister predicted the contest would be between his party and Reform UK but, asked if such an assertion – which turned out to be wrong – cast doubt on the data used by the SNP, he appeared to suggest it was based on his own perception. 'I'm just making two points about the by-election, two observations,' he said. 'One was that Labour support was collapsing, and from last year to Thursday, Labour support collapsed by 20%, came down from 50% to 30%. 'And I observed, secondly, that Reform support was surging and it was, so my analysis of the by-election was absolutely correct. 'I simply said to people if you want to stop Reform, vote for the SNP.' Despite the by-election loss, the party continues to lead in the polls ahead of next year, with Mr Swinney saying the Government must 'deliver on the priorities of the people of Scotland'.