Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Donald Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs on the UK and other European allies over Greenland, calling the move “completely wrong” and warning it undermines Nato unity.
The intervention follows a statement by Donald Trump, who said the United States would introduce a 10 per cent tariff on goods from the UK and seven European countries from 1 February. The levies would rise to 25 per cent on 1 June unless a deal was reached to allow the US to purchase Greenland.
Trump said the tariffs would apply to Nato members, including the UK, France and Germany, that have deployed troops to the Arctic territory amid rising geopolitical tensions. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he accused European countries of travelling to Greenland “for purposes unknown” and described the situation as “very dangerous” for global security.
Responding on Saturday evening, Keir Starmer said the UK’s position was unequivocal.
“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 said. “Arctic security matters for the whole of Nato, and allies should be working together to address the growing threat from Russia.”
Starmer added: “Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”
Opposition leaders across Westminster echoed the criticism, warning the move would damage British businesses and further strain transatlantic relations.
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservatives, said the threat was misguided. “President Trump is completely wrong to announce tariffs on the UK over Greenland,” she said. “These tariffs will be yet another burden for businesses across our country. The sovereignty of Greenland should only be decided by the people of Greenland.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the episode exposed the fragility of the UK’s relationship with Washington. “Trump is now punishing the UK and Nato allies just for doing the right thing,” he said, urging Starmer to work more closely with European and Commonwealth partners to push back.
Even Nigel Farage, a long-time admirer of Trump, acknowledged the potential damage. “We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t,” he said, adding that the tariffs would “hurt” the UK.
Senior Labour figures also used the moment to argue for a reset in Britain’s strategic posture. Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, said Trump’s threats underlined the need for closer cooperation with Europe. “If we can’t rely on America and we don’t want to cosy up to China, the answer is to get serious about our strategic future with Europe,” she said.
Former national security adviser Peter Ricketts urged calm diplomacy, telling BBC Radio 4 that European governments should resist escalation and continue to make the case for collective Nato security. He noted that during the Cold War the US maintained a large military presence in Greenland without resorting to economic threats.
“The right way forward is cooperation, not tariffs and bluster,” Ricketts said, adding that any EU response would need to be coordinated at bloc level, limiting Trump’s ability to target individual member states.
The tariff threat comes at a sensitive moment for UK businesses, already grappling with weak growth, high borrowing costs and fragile export demand. Any new trade barriers with the US risk compounding those pressures, particularly for manufacturers and exporters reliant on transatlantic markets.
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Starmer condemns Trump’s Greenland tariff threat as ‘completely wrong’