Starmer rebukes Trump tariffs, seeks to avoid trade war (Full Transcript)

Name: Starmer rebukes Trump tariffs, seeks to avoid trade war
Uploaded: 2026-01-20T10:10:12+00:00
Channel: GoTranscript
Description: UK PM Keir Starmer calls Trump’s ally tariffs wrong, avoids retaliation, and signals royal US visits will proceed as questions grow over UK leverage.

UK PM Keir Starmer calls Trump’s ally tariffs wrong, avoids retaliation, and signals royal US visits will proceed as questions grow over UK leverage.

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[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Sir Keir Starmer said President Trump's use of tariffs against his allies was completely wrong. It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance. For a Prime Minister who's invested so much energy in his relationship with the US President over the past year, even that mild criticism is really quite something. The Prime Minister wanted to spend today, the start of this week, way outside of London talking about the cost of living. Instead he finds himself here trying to deal with a closest ally behaving like anything but. What we didn't get such a strong sense of today is what the UK is going to do next. Keir Starmer was asked whether he would threaten tariffs on the US in retaliation. Look a tariff war is in nobody's interests and we have not got to that stage and my focus therefore is making sure we don't get to that stage. Both the King and the Prince of Wales are set to visit the US this year to mark the US's 250th anniversary since independence from the UK. Keir Starmer was asked if those visits might be cancelled. He suggested otherwise. But there is a question of what cards the UK can play here to really get to President Trump.

Summary

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticizes President Trump’s use of tariffs against allies as the wrong approach to resolving alliance disputes, while emphasizing he wants to avoid a retaliatory tariff war. Starmer declines to threaten counter-tariffs and focuses on preventing escalation, even as he is pressed on whether upcoming royal visits to the US for the 250th anniversary could be cancelled—something he suggests will not happen. The segment highlights uncertainty over what leverage the UK has to influence Trump’s stance.

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Title

Starmer criticizes Trump tariffs but avoids retaliation talk

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Keywords

Keir Starmer Remove

Donald Trump Remove

tariffs

UK-US relations Remove

trade dispute Remove

retaliation Remove

alliance

cost of living Remove

Royal visits Remove

US 250th anniversary Remove

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Key Takeaways

Starmer calls Trump’s tariffs on allies ‘completely wrong’ and unsuitable for resolving alliance differences.
The UK government is signaling de-escalation, with Starmer avoiding threats of retaliatory tariffs.
Starmer’s handling is notable given his effort to cultivate a strong relationship with Trump.
Royal visits to the US tied to the 250th anniversary appear likely to proceed despite trade tensions.
The UK’s practical leverage over the US remains unclear, raising questions about what ‘cards’ Britain can play.

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Sentiments

Neutral: The tone is analytic and cautious, noting Starmer’s mild criticism of Trump while emphasizing de-escalation and uncertainty about the UK’s next steps rather than expressing strong emotion.

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