Labour MP on Trump Tariffs: Britain needs to "keep calm and carry on"

Britain needs to “keep calm and carry on,” advises Labour MP on how we should cope with Trump’s tariffs. As the UK is hit with a 10 per cent levy on exports of good to the US, the Government has set a May 1 deadline to decide on how to respond.

MP Mike Tapp said of the Prime Minister’s team: “They'll work hard behind the scenes and it will be that calm, collective, statesman-like approach to try and get the best deal for this country.”

Speaking on The Division Bell podcast, the MP for Dover and Deal said: “We are still in the midst of great talk and negotiations are delicate diplomacy, so what we won't see from the government is a running commentary on that.”

This morning, Sir responded to Trump’s tariffs stating: “I don’t think we should jump straight into a trade war. I think it is better if we’re able to negotiate a better outcome and that’s what we are attempting to do.”

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Tapp commended the PM's “statesman-like approach” in handling international affairs, “including our relationship with the United States, which could’ve been difficult, but actually he's made sure it's not difficult. I think that's partly why we have been imposed with 10 per cent rather than what others are seeing.”

While the UK is set to take a 10 per cent hit, the has been slapped with 20 per cent tariffs - a fact not lost on Brexiteers.

“The only silver lining is that , which Labour voted against 48 times, means our tariffs are lower than those faced by the EU” said Tory MP Andrew Griffith.

Politics Editor Lizzy Buchan says it’s not quite that simple: “A lot of people are jumping on to say ‘This is a Brexit benefit’...but it’s not a given.”

“This difference of 10 per cent for the UK, 20 per cent for the EU wasn’t automatically handed out to whoever was Prime Minister. We’ve reached this point because Keir Starmer has proposed a specific strategy with and that might not have been achieved by another leader or another strategy.”

To hear more from Mike Tapp, Christian Calgie and Lizzy Buchan discussing Trump’s tariffs, welfare cuts, and military spending listen to the new episode of The Division Bell.