'Nothing is off the table': UK PM Starmer vows ‘cool and calm’ response top Trump tariffs

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer - File Photo

Reacting to the 10 per cent tariff imposed on British exports to the United States, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told business leaders at his Downing Street office today that “clearly there would be an economic impact”.

"Last night the president of the United States acted for his country, and that is his mandate. Today, I will act in Britain's interests with mine," said Starmer, adding that trade negotiations would continue with Donald Trump's administration and that "we will fight for the best deal for Britain".

Stressing that "nobody wins in a trade war", Starmer vowed to respond with "pragmatism, cool and calm heads".

"We have a range of levers at our disposal, and we will continue our work with businesses across the country to understand their assessment of these options," he said.

There will be an economic impact from the decisions the US has taken.We will continue to negotiate on a deal in our interests. Decisions will be guided only by our national interests and what is best for the security of working people.We will go further and faster on the pic.twitter.com/VMJlCfZLP5
Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 3, 2025

"Our intention remains to secure a (trade) deal. But nothing is off the table, he said.

"We have to understand that just as with defence and security, so too for the economy and trade we are living in a changing world," he said.

The U.K. has emerged relatively unhurt in comparison to numerous other countries, benefiting from the lowest initial trade tariff that Trump declared on Wednesday, due to its mostly balanced trade in goods with the United States.

The UK has spent weeks working on a trade deal with the US to avoid the full impact of the level of tariffs introduced on countries such as Canada and China.