Sir Keir Starmer finds himself in a difficult position dealing with Donald Trump - Andy Brown

In politics the ability to compromise to get things done is often an asset. It is usually helpful to talk to those who you have disagreed with in the past and find common ground where you can achieve some useful progress and get things done that benefit your community.

There are, however, some people who are incredibly difficult to compromise with because they don’t have any real desire to listen and adapt. Some people are completely convinced that they are a searingly brilliant genius who has it all figured out and doesn't need to listen to anyone else. Such people tend to see an offer of compromise as an admission of weakness that provides an opportunity to exploit a mug.

Donald Trump is top of the league of people with that characteristic. He respects strength and determination not efforts to find an agreeable middle ground. He has not the least intention of moderating his own views in order to make life easier for someone who is hoping for a bit of give and take.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

That puts Keir Starmer in a very difficult position. The leadership of the United States is to be in the hands of someone who isn’t remotely interested in meeting Britain halfway and protecting our national interests. For Trump it is America First or rather himself first. He is only interested in how much he can get out of any deal and in taking advantage of any weaknesses he detects.

Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024. PIC: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesDonald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024. PIC: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024. PIC: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

When there are politicians in charge of the United States who share British values and are pursuing policies that align with our values it makes immense sense to get as close as we can to the American President and to place our trust in a special relationship.

When the President of the US starts out trying to appoint someone under investigation for child abuse to be in charge of justice, someone who thinks vaccines are a dangerous hoax in charge of health care, someone who thinks climate change is a myth in charge of the environment and someone who can’t be trusted with intelligence information in charge of security it begins to be a lot less clear that we share the same values and objectives.

It is not in Britain’s best interests to see Putin win the war in Ukraine and sit proudly on conquered territory as he plans his next expansion of his empire. It is not in Britain’s interests to be complicit in every aggressive move undertaken by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as he is supplied with a free hand, powerful weapons and military information for an agenda that has moved well beyond legitimate self defence and dangerously resembles ethnic cleansing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Above all it is not in Britain’s best interest to negotiate a trade deal with the United States from a position of great weakness. Trump has told anyone who will listen that he intends to place tariffs on goods and services coming out of Europe. That includes Britain.

Any exemption from those tariffs is going to come at a price. For the EU, negotiating a deal with Trump won’t be easy but it will be conducting those negotiations from a position of strength. There are a lot more consumers in the EU than in the US and access to their market matters to the US.

Britain is in a much weaker position. We are a much smaller market and we have almost no economic allies.

The price of negotiating a trade deal with the US is likely to be twofold. Firstly, we will be required to give US farmers free access to UK markets. That means battery farmed cattle driving small family farmers in the UK out of business and it means heavily sprayed monoculture crops undercutting the price of anything grown here under more responsible conditions. The impact on Britain’s farmers of doing that would be devastating for families already reeling under the impact of placing the inheritance tax thresholds so low that people on minimum wage are expected to cough up hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The second big cost is that it would remove any prospect of Britain being able to negotiate a trade deal with our biggest economic partner. The EU. We were all told that leaving that trading bloc would result in Britain proudly regaining its sovereignty in trade and striking bargains from a position of strength. If all that happens is that Keir Starmer places us at the mercy of Donald Trump then we can kiss goodbye to any concept of genuine independence and sovereignty.

There is no point in trying to compromise with a tiger. Trying to be friendly to Donald Trump in the hope that he will play nice in return is utter naivety. The special relationship is now effectively over. Either we really do assert our sovereignty and stand firm for our values or we will be crushed.

It is far from clear that Keir Starmer has either the clarity of vision to recognise the harsh realities of Britain’s position or the strength of character to stand firm. Donald Trump is full of confidence and knows what he wants. We need allies. It is time to rebuild our relationship with the EU.

Andy Brown is the Green Party councillor for Aire Valley in North Yorkshire.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice