The government does not believe Donald Trump will impose tariffs on the UK but is “prepared for all scenarios”, a minister has said.
Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, said Sky News Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that the former president’s return to the White House “could be an extremely positive thing with many opportunities.”
Mr. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on all imports into the United States, especially Canada, Mexico and China as well as countries that could face tougher measures hours after his inauguration on Monday.
Asked what the Government would do if this happened in the UK, Mr Jones said it was a “hypothetical” question and to wait and see “what happens really “.
Political center: Trump ‘has the right’ to make a statement on tariffs
“If that happens, I’ll come back and tell you the details. But the fact is, I don’t think we will find ourselves in that scenario,” Mr Jones said.
Darren Jones
He said there is a narrative in the UK that Mr Trump’s presidency represents “a significant risk to Britain”, when that is not the case.
“Britain is a brilliant country with enormous capabilities and assets that are valued not only by the British people, but also by the American economy and other parts of the world,” he said .
“I have no doubt that under the Trump administration there will be many opportunities that we can seize, and we need to be positive about that and be committed to getting this deal done.” »
Mr Jones confirmed there was a plan ultimately if tariffs were imposed, but said it was not up to him “to lay out the details before something actually happens on television” .
“It is not breaking news that the government is preparing for all scenarios,” he added.
“What I mean more generally is that we should not view the inauguration of President-elect Trump as a risk, nor as a bad thing for the UK. This could be an extremely positive thing, with many opportunities. »
President-elect Trump will be sworn in for a second term on Monday, following his election victory in November, and concerns have been raised about what the promised tariffs could mean for economies around the world.
The former businessman has made it clear he plans to pick up where he left off in 2021 by taxing goods coming into the country, making them more expensive, in a bid to protect industry and jobs Americans.
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Shadow Foreign Secretary Lady Priti Patel, who is in Washington DC for the inauguration, said Mr Trump was “within his rights to make whatever statements he wants regarding tariffs… but as always, this is a discussion and a negotiation”.
Priti Patel in Washington DC
She said the Labor government should resume her party’s negotiations on a post-Brexit free trade deal with the United States and “not even engage in these discussions about tariffs”.
A trade deal with the United States was a priority in the 2019 Conservative agenda. but was not reached at the time of the general election in July last year, which they lost.
Ms Patel then called the British reform leader Nigel Farage a “pop-up act” and “irrelevant” when asked if his party should make peace with him to get along with Mr. Trump, given the close relationship between the two men.
She said conservatives and Republicans are “sister parties” with “enduring, long-standing ties.”
“We’re not a pop-up band like they (Reform UK) are… so I don’t think it’s particularly relevant,” she said.
However, the Liberal Democrats accused the former Interior Minister of “competing with the Reformers to be the most submissive towards Trump”.
Confidence in Mandelson’s nomination
Mr Trump’s inauguration also caused a stir after reports in Sunday newspapers suggested he could reject Lord Peter Mandelson as Sir Keir Starmer’s president. appointment as British Ambassador to the United States.
The senior Labor leader has criticized Mr Trump in the past and was last month called an “absolute moron” by a Trump campaigner.
Lord Mandelson. Photo: PA
However, Mr Jones indicated he was confident the Blair-era minister would take office, telling Sky News he had “very much doubt” about the veracity of media reports.
“It’s probably being spread by some politicians who would like to create a bit of a nuisance. I doubt that is the case.
Government ‘disagrees’ with Khan’s Trump comments
Mr Jones was also forced to distance himself from comments made by the Labor mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Mr. Khan warned of a battle that will mark the century against “resurgent fascism”, writing in The Observer that “we live in deeply worrying times, especially if you are a member of a minority community”.
Mr Jones said he was not associated with this language and that questions about it “belong to Sadiq”.
He later told the BBC: “I speak for the government and we disagree with them. »