“You’ve been tricked! You've been had! Hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Now, what are you going to do about it?” - Unknown
Trump is a bully, a narcissist and a liar. Despite this our Prime Minister shamefully ingratiated himself in order to curry favour and was one of the first European leaders to sign up to a trade deal.
“Starmer praises Trump for trade deal that is ‘truly historic’.” (Metro: 08/05/25)
Starmer’s naivety knows no bounds. When will he learn that would be dictators don’t do favours unless it benefits them?
He was not alone in his gullibility.
The Independent had this gushing headline:
“Starmer praised as UK outshines EU in Trump trade talks.” (04/04/25)
On top of this, Trump himself heaped praise on Starmer calling him a “great negotiator” and a "great diplomat", assuring him the UK was “very well protected from tariffs”.
Hooray! The special relationship was alive and well and working in Britain’s favour.
In return for a 25% tariff on steel, a 10% tariff on aluminium and a 25% tariff on automobiles and auto parts ( most tariffs averaged 2-3% before Trump) Starmer agreed to allow more American beef into the country, thereby threatening British farmers, and he wilfully sacrificed homegrown bioethanol production, allowing US bioethanol in at prices British companies cannot compete with. In addition, he offered Trump the opportunity to make an unprecedented second state visit to the UK with full honours. Clever Mr Starmer!
Starmer has been basking in the glory of this “historic trade deal" ever since. Well, up until today that is. This is the headline from the Daily Express:
“Donald Trump sneakily slaps UK with tariffs on hundreds of products - up to 25%.” (24/08/25)
In a move described by UK industry leaders as “blindsiding,” President Donald Trump has stealthily expanded 25% tariffs to cover 400 additional categories of UK goods, ranging from washing machines to aluminium-packaged shampoos and babyfood. Industry leaders have described these unexpected tariffs as “a complete surprise" and “very damaging" to British industry.
In his pursuit of international stature, Keir Starmer has compromised key domestic interests, notably the UK’s beef farming sector and its biofuel production capacity. Rather than adopting a posture of principled negotiation, Starmer has opted for symbolic overtures—flattering rhetoric, ceremonial gestures, and even correspondence from the monarch proposing a second state visit—all in an effort to “play Trump.” Yet it is Starmer who has been misled. If the details hidden in the small print of the deal were overlooked, the question must be asked: was this a failure of due diligence, or a calculated risk that underestimated the consequences?
