Keir Starmer struck a note of defiance as he told Jaguar Land Rover workers in Birmingham that he would back them ‘to the hilt’, but he is treading a fine line with erratic Donald Trump watching on
Keir Starmer is doing his best to appear relaxed – when he has all reason to be anything but.
Faced with the wrecking ball economic measures coming from the White House, he tried to strike a rousing note as he met plant workers at Jaguar Land Rover in Birmingham. He pledged we would “rise together as a nation” as he struck a note of defiance.
The car industry is reeling over Donald Trump’s swingeing 25% tariff that threatens to wipe billions of pounds from the sector, while 10% charges on other goods will pile on more misery. With tens of thousands of workers understandably jittery, Mr Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves aimed to provide some reassurance as they vowed: “We will back you to the hilt.”
Both delivered speeches as completed Range Rovers glided past them on a conveyer belt. Interestingly around half of them were left-hand drives – suggesting they may have been built for the US market. Such is the pressure to get vehicles out and on the market that the hammering of metal on metal continued even as the two most powerful people in the country said their piece.
Despite the enforced sense of optimism, it’s clear the PM knows he’ll have to steer the country along some difficult roads. He told the audience “this is not a passing phase” and warned we are in a “completely new world”.
He admitted the impact of the tariffs will be “profound”, and in a veiled swipe at the President he said: “Old assumptions that we’ve long taken for granted simply don’t apply any longer.”
It’s no surprise that the pressure is starting to show on the PM. For decades his predecessors have been able to rely on the US as a steady, dependable partner. But things have changed under Trump.
The huge tariffs imposed by the President risk wiping billions from the UK economy, with the FTSE 100 plunging by 6% and experts now talking up the possibility of a global recession. Trump has delivered hammer blows to the UK car and steel industries, and his 10% tariff on all UK imports will be felt across all sectors.
Mr Starmer may be trying to keep a brave face on it, but warning lights will be flashing inside No10. The PM vowed to turn the economy around after years of inept Tory rule – but risks having his plans torpedoed as markets around the world stumble.
It also means he’s not on the front foot, which is a disastrous position for any leader to be in. For the next four years Mr Starmer will be in response mode – with less flexibility to drive forward his own vision and at the mercy of the President’s unpredictable moods.
He’s walking a tightrope, trying to push back while not angering Trump into doing anything rash. That’s not an easy path to tread.
‘We will keep calm and fight for the best deal with the US,” the PM said. “When it comes to the US I will only strike a deal if it’s in our national interest.”
The PM has been working the phones in the last few days, with chats with leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Australia and Canada. He’s voiced his disappointment at Trump’s actions as victims try to work out ways of lessening the pain.
There’s little sign that there will be good news from Washington DC anytime soon. At the weekend Trump said he did not want global markets to fall, but that “sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something”.