Keir Starmer scrambles ‘concession package’ as PM pleads Donald Trump to spare Britain from trade war
The clock is ticking down as Britain makes desperate last-minute offers to avoid the full force of Trump’s economic onslaught. With his sweeping tariffs set to take effect within hours, the UK government finds itself backed into a corner, forced to make uncomfortable concessions that could reshape entire industries.
Silicon Valley’s tech giants appear set for a major victory as Britain prepares to abandon its digital services tax – a humiliating retreat that will cost the Treasury millions. Meanwhile, supermarket shelves may soon be stocked with chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef from American farms, despite fierce opposition from UK agricultural groups who see this as a betrayal of British food standards.
Behind closed doors, Treasury officials scramble to assess the damage, knowing these concessions may only soften the blow rather than prevent it entirely. The pound’s recent instability hints at the economic turbulence to come, with ordinary consumers likely to bear the brunt through higher prices on everything from family cars to household electronics.
Farmers’ unions erupt in anger as they face the prospect of competing against heavily subsidized US imports while gaining little in return. “They’re sacrificing British agriculture at the altar of political expediency,” one industry leader storms, capturing the mood of a sector that feels thrown under the bus.
As the deadline looms, the government clings to the hope that these painful compromises might preserve some shred of economic stability. But with Trump known for last-minute changes, there’s no guarantee these concessions will be enough – leaving Britain’s economic future hanging by a thread as the world braces for the coming trade shockwaves.
