US President Donald Trump's planned new tariffs - in an effort to resurrect his controversial trade policy - are yet more proof that the UK needs to "fully align with our friends and allies in Europe", campaigners have said.
According to the Financial Times, the United States has announced it intends to impose minimum 10% tariffs on dozens of nations including the UK, amid claims a forced labour investigation revealed the some 60 countries were not doing enough to prevent the import of goods made using the practice.
It comes after Trump's landmark defeat at the Supreme Court earlier this year, when the top US judges ruled that his so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs of April 2025 were unlawful.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain, which has polled the collapse in British trust in the US, said:
“While the UK can and must do more to address forced labour on imported goods, Trump’s veiled attempt to tariff his way to the top does nothing to tackle that issue: far from any special relationship, his actions only indicate hostility.
“It’s long overdue for the UK to take Trump at face value, and recognise it's time we fully align with our friends and allies in Europe, which our polling and independent economic research has repeatedly shown can help shield our economy from continued assault from the US, like no other policy lever.”