Keir Starmer speaks out on US tariffs over Greenland
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken out against US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on the UK and other countries that oppose his plan to acquire Greenland.
Trump has announced that he will impose 10% tariffs on a number of countries that have sent troops to Greenland, including the UK, Denmark, Norway, France, and Germany. He threatened to increase these tariffs to 25% by 1 June.
In an address on Monday 19 January, Starmer said that he was determined to preserve the close relationship of the UK with the US but that the imposition of tariffs was completely wrong and would hurt British workers and damage the British economy.
He reiterated his position that the future of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
“There is a principle here that cannot be set aside because it goes to the heart of how stable and trusted international cooperation works,” Starmer said.
He acknowledged that the security of Greenland would becoming increasingly important as new sea routes open in the arctic, adding that the UK would continue to work with the US on defence and intelligence.
Starmer did not explicitly rule out retaliatory tariffs agains the US, but he said that a trade war would be in nobody’s interest.
“We have not got to that stage; my focus is making sure we don’t get to that stage.”
Starmer added that this was a moment for the country to pull together, welcoming support from Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who previously said she supported Keir Starmer’s position on the self-determination of Greenland and Denmark’s sovereignty over the region.
