Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described Donald Trump's threat to impose 10% tariffs on the UK and other Nato allies over Greenland as 'completely wrong'. The US president announced the levies would apply from 1 February to countries including the UK, France, and Germany, which have deployed troops to the territory amid growing uncertainty over its future.
Trump said the tariffs would rise to 25% on 1 June if a deal to buy Greenland had not been reached. In a post on Truth Social, he accused the nations of journeying to Greenland 'for purposes unknown', claiming it posed a 'very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet'.
Sir Keir stated: 'Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes.' He added that applying tariffs on allies for pursuing collective Nato security was 'completely wrong' and that the government would pursue the matter directly with the US administration.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the tariffs 'completely wrong' and said they would burden businesses. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Sir Keir's US policy 'lies in tatters' and urged him to stand firm against the 'bully in the White House'. Reform leader Nigel Farage acknowledged the tariffs would 'hurt' the UK. Labour MP Stella Creasy argued the situation meant it was time to get serious about a strategic future with Europe.
Former national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts advised European countries to react calmly and continue making the case that America can achieve its security interests through Nato. He noted that the European Union has a single tariff, making it impossible for Trump to target individual EU countries, and suggested that private diplomacy would be more effective than public confrontation.
