Labour grandee says UK government must decide ‘whose side they’re on’ after Trump tariffs

A Labour grandee has said the government must decide “whose side” it is on after US president imposed a blanket 10 per cent tariff on all US imports from the UK.

Lord Blunkett, who served in cabinet during Tony Blair’s tenure as prime minister, said the approach reflects a “a good rule of thumb for government.”

Speaking in the House of Lords on Thursday morning, the former home secretary asked: “If I could just ask my noble friend a googly question, as Donald Trump would say, which is difficult as these matters are, isn’t there a good rule of thumb for government to decide whose side they’re on?”

Responding for the government, financial secretary to the Treasury Lord Livermore said: “Yes, and this government is absolutely clear we’re on the side of working people.”

The exchange comes after Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, urged the government to stand alongside allies against Trump’s attempts to “divide and rule”.

Davey commented: “The prime minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.”

Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.