Sir Keir Starmer was yesterday warned against more Brexit backsliding after Donald Trump threatened to hit the EU with 50 per cent trade tariffs.
The US President made the threat amid trade talks between Washington and Brussels, warning he could impose the tariffs next month.
It comes after Sir Keir unveiled his EU-UK ‘reset’ deal this week, bringing Britain the closest its been with the bloc since Brexit.
But critics fear it’s the start of a slippery slope which could lead to the PM, who tried to reverse Brexit while in Opposition, taking Britain back into the EU’s customs union or single market.
Were this to happen, the tariffs would likely apply to the UK too.As part of his deal, dubbed the ‘surrender’ pact by Brexiteers, Sir Keir agreed to shackle Britain to the EU’s rulebook on food standards, also known as the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS).
He also surrendered Britain’s fishing waters to EU trawlers for another 12 years and committed to a youth mobility scheme which could give tens of thousands of Europeans the right to live and work here.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘This week he stupidly went and handed ourselves over to the EU on SPS, where we have now become a rule-taker from the EU.
‘So this 50 per cent tariff should be a warning to him that it’s a mistake getting directly back involved with the EU.’
Sir Keir Starmer was yesterday warned against more Brexit backsliding after Donald Trump threatened to hit the EU with 50 per cent trade tariffs
The US President made the threat amid trade talks between Washington and Brussels, warning he could impose the tariffs next month
European markets fell even further – with Germany’s Dax down 1.5 per cent and France’s Cac 40 falling 1.7 per cent
Stock markets fell sharply on Mr Trump’s threats. The FTSE 100 closed 0.24 per cent, or 21.29 points, down.
European markets fell even further – with Germany’s Dax down 1.5 per cent and France’s Cac 40 falling 1.7 per cent.
In New York, stocks were also trading lower.
Analysts said Mr Trump’s announcements had eradicated optimism that his previous aggressive stance on tariffs had cooled after deals with China and the UK.
‘The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.
‘I am recommending a straight 50 per cent Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.’
EU exports to the United States last year totalled about €500billion (£420billion), led by Germany with €161billion (£135billion).
Mr Trump also turned his fire on tech firm Apple.
Stock markets fell sharply upon Mr Trump’s threats to impose more tariffs against EU nations. The FTSE 100 closed 0.24 per cent, or 21.29 points, down
‘I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,’ he said, referring to the Apple chief executive.
‘If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25 per cent must be paid by Apple to the US.’
Apple shares fell nearly three per cent.
Tory MP Mark Francois, chairman of the European Research Group, said: ‘President Trump has always been sceptical about the EU as an organisation and his imposition of major tariffs highlights yet another reason why we’re well out of it.’
