UK says trade with US is ‘fair and balanced’

The UK government insisted Monday that its trading relationship with the United States was “fair and balanced” after US President Donald Trump warned he could impose tariffs on Britain.

Trump suggested late Sunday that the European Union was in line for levies similar to those imposed on Canada, Mexico and China, adding it “might happen” with Britain.

“The UK is way out of line, and we’ll see with the UK,” he said, before raising the prospect of striking a deal with London to avoid the tariffs.

“I think that one can be worked out,” Trump added.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesman told reporters the British leader believes he can trust the US president to keep his word.

“Yes, the prime minister has had a really constructive early set of conversations with President Trump, and looks forward to working with him to deepen our trade, investment, security and defence relationship,” he said.

He added that Britain and the United States were “each other’s single largest investors, with £1.2 trillion ($1.5 billion) invested in each other’s economies”.

“We’ve got a fair and balanced trading relationship which benefits both sides of the Atlantic,” he added, noting it was worth around £300 billion.

Trump has slapped tariffs of 25 percent on goods coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10 percent levy on imports from China.

UK ministers have suggested that Britain might avoid US tariffs because the United States does not have a trade deficit with its ally.

Trump’s threat of tariffs on the European Union was set to overshadow a gathering of 27 EU leaders in Brussels on Monday.

Starmer was also to attend, the first time a UK prime minister has been at a major EU get-together since Britain left the bloc in 2020.