It may well be the biggest and most significant choice the Starmer administration will have to take. If Donald Trump decides to impose huge tariffs on China, potentially sparking a global trade war, the UK will have to decide whether it backs America, or tries to steer a softer path with the European Union. All the indications are that it will choose Europe. The trouble is, that will prove a huge mistake – the British economy is very different from the rest of Europe, and we will be thrown overboard as soon as it is convenient.
The contrast has ground to a halt, and it makes little sense to tie yourself to a failing bloc
Trump is not a man who is bothered by consistency. Even so, he spent so much time on the campaign trail promising to hit China with tariffs of up to 60 per cent that it would be hard for him to abandon the promise now.
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