Politics LIVE: Labour told to be 'prepared for all scenarios' amid threat of Trump trade war
Nigel Farage says Labour are getting off to 'the worst possible start' with Trump
GB News
Labour has been told to "be prepared for all scenarios", amid the prospect of a Trump trade war due to the President-elect threatening to impose tariffs on all imports into the United States.
Trump is set to re-enter the White House today, just months after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024's US Presidential Election.
He has vowed to slap a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada - a punishment for what he says is their failure to curb the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants into the US.
These steeper measures could come into effect just hours after his inauguration later today.
When asked what the UK would do if the same tariffs were imposed on it, Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, said the Government has a plan in place.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: "It's not breaking news that the government prepares for all scenarios."
However, he said that he believes that the former President's return to the White House "could be an enormously positive thing with lots of opportunities".
He said: "Britain is a brilliant country with huge capabilities and assets which are valued not just to the British people, but to the American economy and other parts of the world."
"I have no doubt whatsoever that under the Trump administration, there are going to be plenty of opportunities that we can seize, and we should be positive about that and be strong about securing this deal.
"My broader point is that we shouldn't be looking at President-elect Trump's inauguration as a risk, or a bad thing for the UK. It could be an enormously positive thing with lots of opportunities."
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David Lammy says Trump is a 'revisionist actor', not a 'warmonger'
David Lammy says Trump is a 'revisionist actor', not a 'warmonger'
GettyDonald Trump is a “revisionist actor” and not in any sense a “warmonger”, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.
“Two things that I took away from my extended dinner with Donald Trump in September – this is not a man who, in any sense, is a warmonger.
“I really had a powerful sense that, in reckoning with the world’s most malign interests, he was very clear that he wanted to be strong and powerful,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Lammy also said he sees Trump as a “revisionist actor” who “wants to change the rules of the game” and seems very focused on the possibility of normalising Saudi relations with Israel.
Asked if he is going through some revisionism himself in relation to his own view of the US president-elect, Lammy said his approach is “progressive realism”.
“In this role, I’ve said that the approach has got to be progressive realism, and that is that you meet the world as it is, not as you would wish it to be.”
He added: “The Donald Trump I met … had incredible grace, generosity, very keen to be a good host, very funny, very, very, very friendly, very warm, I have to say, about the UK, our royal family, Scotland.”
'Grow up!' Tory MP urges Labour to create a 'adult relationship' with Donald Trump
Richard Holden told Labour that is is "time to grown up" GB News A Conservative MP has urged Labour to develop a "grown up, proper adult relationship" with Donald Trump as the former president returns to the White House today.
Speaking to GB News, Richard Holden called for an end to Labour's "name calling of our closest ally" as Trump prepares to take office for his second term.
The MP emphasised the need for a reset in foreign relationships, particularly highlighting the importance of positive trading ties between the UK and US.
David Lammy: Gaza ceasefire is 'crucial geopolitical moment'
The Gaza ceasefire is a “crucial geopolitical moment” but it is “hugely important” to turn it into a process that allows Palestinians a “political horizon”, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.
Three female Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months have been released and brought back to Israel, whilst Ninety Palestinian prisoners were released early on Monday as part of the ceasefire deal.
British-Israeli Emily Damari was one of the three hostages who has been reunited with her family after being held in captivity for more than 15 months.
“This is a crucial geopolitical moment in global affairs, and the United States will have a huge effect on that,” Lammy told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“We’ve got 15 days until negotiations begin for the next phase.
“It’s hugely important now that we turn this into a political process… military might alone does not destroy Hamas terrorism. It is a political process that allows the Palestinian people a political horizon.
“That’s what we’ve got to get to, and we’ve got to give security to Israel, and that means the governance of Gaza, how Israelis remain secure and do not have another event like October 7th.
“But how, indeed, we bring the Palestinian Authority back in in Gaza, how the Arab states, Gulf states, are able to step back in and assist us and others with the reconstruction of Gaza… that is the significance of these next few weeks, and that’s what we’ve got to get to.”
Donald Trump set to reinstate Churchill bust in Oval Office - 'Most pro-British president in 50 years'
Donald Trump is set to reinstate the bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office following his inaugurationGettyDonald Trump is set to reinstate the bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office following his inauguration later today, Nigel Farage has claimed.
The Reform UK leader has hailed the President-elect, who will re-enter the White House today, as “the most pro-British president since Eisenhower”.
The bust of Churchill was removed by Joe Biden’s team in a redecoration of the Oval Office following his 2021 inauguration.
Home Secretary says 'justice must be done' ahead of Southport trial
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper PAYvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said that "justice must be done" ahead of trial of Axel Rudakubana.
The 18-year-old will appear at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, accused of murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar.
The three girls were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space in Southport on July 29 last year.
Cooper said that the whole of the UK will be thinking of the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie.
She said: “This will be a deeply traumatic and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport and the whole country will be thinking of them.
“The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its course, to respect the difficult job the court has to do so there is a fair trial and justice can be done.
“There will be a time at the end of this trial to discuss what happened and the action needed in response to this horrific tragedy.
“But for now, and until the proceedings have concluded, the priority for all of us must be to ensure justice is done."
Councils warn financial constraints threaten new housing delivery
Most local authorities will struggle to deliver new social housing at scale as their budgets are on the “brink of collapse”, according to research suggesting the Government’s “council housing revolution” may be in jeopardy.
A survey found two-thirds of 76 councils managing more than 870,000 homes said the viability of their dedicated budgets are under threat, with a risk many will not be able to balance the books by the end of the decade.
The research, commissioned by Southwark Council, also showed 93 per cent of councils’ housing budgets are showing signs of financial stress, with these councils taking or expecting to take “substantial action” – including tapping into emergency funds.
In total, 61per cent of councils have already cancelled, paused or delayed housebuilding projects, while more than a third have cut back on repairs and maintenance of council homes.
Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) said they expect to abandon, pause or delay current council housing projects, while 68% are preparing to scale back commitments to redevelop or build new homes.
In addition, 28 per cent of councils said they are likely to sell council homes in a bid to secure financial stability, with 67 per cent confirming that, under current circumstances, there is high risk they will not be able to set a balanced budget by 2029.
Keir Starmer congratulates Donald Trump ahead of inauguration
Starmer is said to want to get a deal before Trump retakes officePA/REUTERSSir Keir Starmer has congratulated President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration, stating that the special relationship between the US and UK “will continue to flourish for years to come”.
Trump is set to re-enter the White House today, just months after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024's US Presidential Election.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the “depth of friendship” between the 47th president and the UK, and pledged to continue to “work together to ensure the success of both our countries and deliver for people on both sides of the Atlantic”.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the Prime Minister sent his congratulations to Trump.
“For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership. It is a uniquely close bond,” Starmer said.
“Together, we have defended the world from tyranny and worked towards our mutual security and prosperity.”
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