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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Ed Davey

Enough appeasement: Britain needs its own ‘trade bazooka’ to take on Donald Trump

Keir Starmer watches on as Donald Trump delivers a speech during a state banquet at Windsor Castle, 17 September 2025.
Keir Starmer watches on as Donald Trump delivers a speech during a state banquet at Windsor Castle, 17 September 2025. Photograph: Phil Noble/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump is behaving like an international gangster. His threats to Greenland this week have crossed a line, blackmailing America’s closest allies and threatening the future of Nato itself. From leaking messages with other world leaders to whining about the Nobel peace prize, the US president has gone from unstable to seemingly unhinged. And our government needs to wake up.

For months, Keir Starmer has pursued a strategy of quiet appeasement. He told us that by avoiding confrontation the UK could carve out a special status that would shield our industries from the coming storm. Only a few months ago, Trump hailed the “special relationship” at Windsor Castle after being lavished with a state banquet. Now, thanks to his actions, it is nearly in tatters. Starmer’s Mr Nice Guy diplomacy has failed.

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