Minister Hits Back At Donald Trump's Claim Starmer Is 'Very Happy' With Tariffs

Donald Trump claimed Keir Starmer is "very happy" with the tariffs. Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said otherwise.A minister has rejected Donald Trump’s claim that Keir Starmer is “very happy” with the US’s new sweeping tariffs.The US president slapped a 10% “base rate” on all British imports to the States this week, on top of a 25% levy previously announced for cars and steel products.Trump announced the new tax on UK goods as part of a larger tariff announcement hitting more than 60 countries, with levies on some nations as high as 34%.He has rocked the global economy in the process, with stock markets across the world in freefall.But Trump told reporters on Air Force One overnight: “I think [Starmer] was very happy about how we treated them with tariffs.”On Times Radio this morning, the exchequer secretary to the Treasury James Murray was asked if he agreed with the president’s statement.The Treasury minister replied: “We are disappointed at tariffs being imposed globally.“We are in a better position than many other economies moving forward, because we’re in the lowest band of tariffs.“But our goal is to get that economic deal. And as you know we have been negotiating intensely since the prime minister went to Washington earlier in the year, and those negotiations now continue at pace, because we know that getting that deal is in the best interest of the UK.”When asked about the global chaos Trump’s tariffs have unleashed, Murray told Sky News the government does not comment on day-to-day market movements but it is clear the world is entering a new era of instability.Trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the Commons on Thursday that the UK could launch its own retaliatory tariffs as a “last resort”, after a month-long consultation with businesses. A 417-page list of US products that could be affected has already been drawn up by the government.Reynolds told the Commons: “It remains our belief that the best route to economic stability for working people is a negotiated deal with the US that builds on our shared strengths.“However, we do reserve the right to take any action we deem necessary if a deal is not secured.”The prime minister has also warned that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to responding to the tariffs.Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have called for a tariff on Elon Musk’s electric vehicle firm, Tesla, in response to the trade war. Related...The UK Has Put Donald Trump On Notice That It Could Retaliate Over His 10% TariffsHow On Earth Did Vladimir Putin Avoid Donald Trump's Tariffs – But Ukraine Didn't?Trump Official Compares BBC's Victoria Derbyshire To 'Kindergartner' In Extraordinary Tariffs Clash