The British Government’s approach to ‘dealing’ with Trump has been shown this week to have been too weak.
Sure, dealing with a bully is anxiety-provoking.
This is particularly the case when you risk, in your dealings with the bully, not only your own livelihood, but that of many others with whom you live.
Last week, I hosted in Parliament over one hundred business leaders from across the West Country who work in manufacturing.
I chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Great South West, and the APPG had put on an event to showcase some of our brilliant manufacturers in the South West to the Government.
The event was a great success.
It was brilliant to have manufacturers in the Churchill Room of Parliament demonstrating why there are over 100,000 people working in manufacturing in our region, generating over £7bn.
That was Thursday.
Then, just three days later, Trump had threatened UK export businesses with tariffs.
It was in response to the Government’s restatement of facts in relation to the sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
As the most pugnacious, unreliable and narcissistic leader in the Western world, Trump has so far been met with appeasement.
I believe that it’s time for the British Government to use our considerable convening power to bring other countries together to show strength to the bully.
Fresh from his apparent victory in Venezuela, Trump’s expansionist approach to other nations has gone into overdrive, at least those that are mineral-rich and are endowed with significant oil reserves.
A trade war is indeed in no one’s interest, as Prime Minister Starmer said on Monday.
I know better than most how vital our US-UK defence, security and intelligence relationship is too.
Yet, if the British Government continues to look the other way; if it continues to tiptoe gingerly around Trump, the toddler-President’s demands are likely to become ever more extreme.
British jobs here are threatened if Trump goes ahead with 10% tariffs on UK exports at the beginning of February.
The manufacturing umbrella body Make UK said on Monday:
“The UK and US manufacturing sectors are deeply integrated ... this is already having a real impact, with UK manufacturers planning to reduce exports to the US this year in response to existing tariffs.
“At a time of global uncertainty, strengthening alliances - not fragmenting them - should be the priority.”
Some of our allies in Europe are considering imposing retaliatory tariffs against the US.
Trump needs to learn that he cannot simply trample over other nations or peoples to get what he wants.
I love the United States as much as the next patriot, and we need the US for European security.
Yet it is time for us to make plain to President Trump that when he picks fights with our friends, we will not merely look the other way.
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