Early evening summary
Jakub Krupa has ongoing coverage of the Greenland crisis on his Europe live blog.
For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Badenoch says Jenrick's defection does not mean Tory party is moving, or will move, away from right
Kemi Badenoch has said that the defection of Robert Jenrick is not a sign that the Conservative party is moving, or will move, away from the right.
She declared this in a letter to Tory MPs in which she also pledges to deal “firmly” with anyone undermining the party.
As GB News reports, Badenoch has invited MPs to a meeting on Wednesday where, it is implied, she will challenge anyone else minded to defect to Reform UK to leave now.
In her letter, she says:
Differences of opinion are part of a healthy party. But there is a clear line between disagreement and trying to damage the party from within.
Those who cannot be part of a Conservative party that is changing in this way are free to make other choices. Those who want to undermine or destroy the party will be dealt with firmly and fairly.
She also insists that the recent defections of Andrew Rosindell, who has always been one of the most rightwing Tory MPs, and Jenrick, who has become increasingly rightwing and anti-migrant over the past year or so, does not mean the party is moving to the centre. She says:
The Tory party was not about to lurch to the centre ground.
Some of our colleagues opining on social media seem to have taken these defections as a signal that the party is shifting (or should) ideologically away from the right.
That is a serious misreading of the situation. These defections are not about policy differences or ideology; they are about character. We are THE party of the right and must remain so.
These comments are particularly unhelpful given they come from people who actively stood against the Conservative party in the 2019 election and themselves worked to split the centre-right vote.
The issue right now is not about right or left, but between those who are here for public service and those who put individual ambition above all else. That is the very culture we are now fixing.
Badenoch may have been referring to people like David Gauke, the former cabinet minister who was thrown out of the Conservative party for rebelling over Brexit in 2019. In an article for ConservativeHome published today, Gauke argues:
With Jenrick gone, the debate over strategy should be resolved for two reasons. First, the balance of opinion within the party has shifted because the leading voice for a more populist approach is no longer there. Second, it is even more obvious that the Conservatives are not going to win the votes of those most exercised by immigration to the exclusion of all other issues.
Badenoch is justified in arguing that Jenrick’s defection had more to do with personal factors than policy. In his defection speech, Jenrick criticised the record of the past Tory government, but he said very little about why he thought current Reform UK policy was better than current Conservative policy in any particular area. (In many areas, there is considerable overlap.) When he ran for Tory leader in 2024, his biggest disagreement was over the European convention on human rights, which he was wanted to leave, while Badenoch was non-committal. But she adopted ECHR withdrawal as policy last summer, meaning that Jenrick ultimately won on the biggest policy debate of the Tory leadership contest.
Badenoch’s declaration that Jenrick’s departure will not result in the Tories shifting back to the centre may disappoint some of her potential media supporters. In its editorial on the subject last week, the Times said:
What remains now is for [Badenoch] to stake out solid ground on the pragmatic centre right, filling a yawning gap in the political market between the creeping paralysis of Labour and the populist fantasies of Reform.
The Daily Telegraph was a bit more non-committal, but in its editorial on the Jenrick defection it said: “For Mrs Badenoch, [the defection] is a chance to show that her diagnosis – Britain is not “broken”, merely in need of repair – can win the support of the electorate, and that Britain’s oldest and most successful political party can reinvent itself yet again to meet this challenge.”
Updated
Labour MPs urge ministers to press ahead with manifesto pledge to replace business rates
Labour MPs have urged the Treasury to say when it will “replace the business rates system”, to tick off a manifesto pledge, PA media reports. PA says:
Liam Byrne said his party vowed to “replace the business rates system, not tinker with it or subsidise it”, as Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson faced questions about policies which are set to leave pubs and hospitality firms paying more tax.
And Meg Hillier, who chairs the Commons Treasury committee, warned pubs in her Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency were “seeing eye-watering increases in business rates”.
Tomlinson told the Commons the government was phasing out hospitality support schemes introduced during the Covid-19 lockdowns, which began in 2020, and added properties have been revalued.
A £4.3bn support package will help protect businesses which would otherwise have seen sharp increases in their bills this year, according to the Treasury.
“The manifesto commitment was to replace the business rates system, not tinker with it or subsidise it,” Byrne told MPs.
The Commons business committee chairman added: “Pubs alone are going to see bill increases of 4% this year alongside VAT thresholds, which are strangling hospitality businesses along the high street, on top of a tax compliance bill for small businesses of £25bn, not least because HMRC doesn’t answer four million phone calls a year.”
Byrne asked: “When is the government going to table comprehensive radical reform that meets the test of the manifesto commitment?”
In his reply, Tomlinson said: “There are things that we want to look at, for example, a switch from a slab system to a slice system [where successive bands are taxed at increasing rates], which should support and encourage investment.
“We’ve already extended small business rates relief, which was confirmed at the budget by the chancellor [Rachel Reeves] so that businesses that expand from one to two premises cannot have that disincentive.”
Hillier said: “Many pubs in my constituency of Hackney South and Shoreditch are seeing eye-watering increases in business rates.
“And we know from the VOA [Valuation Office Agency], which gave evidence to the select committee last week, that the formula that was used is the same formula that’s been used for 20 years, so it should have been no surprise that this was going to happen.
“Yet we had learned in that meeting … that there are over 2,000 pubs with a doubling of their business rates.
“This government came in with a mission to transform business rates – the government inherited a part-way-through valuation cycle – but regardless of what may or may not happen to the hospitality sector, where are the plans for reform of business rates in the medium to long term?”
Tomlinson said: “At the budget, we set out the first significant fundamental reform of the business rates system that we have ever seen.
“For the first time now, there is a very significant divergence in the tax rate paid by businesses on our high street and the very largest businesses, including those online giants.
“That means the tax rate is around 13p lower for those businesses than the largest ones – that’s a 25% reduction, it cost around £1bn, and that’s a £1bn reduction for those businesses on the high street paid for by higher taxes on those who can most afford it.”
Voters would back retaliatory tariffs against US in response to Trump's Greenland tariffs by more than 4 to 1, poll suggests
Keir Starmer said this morning that he did not favour retaliatory tariffs against the US in response to any tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on the UK and other Nato countries opposing his plan to buy Greenland (see 9.36am), and Jenny Chapman, the development minister, defended this approach in the Lords this afternoon (see 4.05pm).
But the public thinks differently. By a margin of more than four to one, voters would support retaliatory tariffs, a YouGov poll suggests. Some 67% of people would either strongly (45%) or somewhat (22%) support the idea; only 14% of people would be opposed, either strongly (6%) or somewhat (8%).
Kalyeena Makortoff has more on the potential economic impact of the new tariffs proposed by Donald Trump on our business live blog.
Proposed Trump tariffs could cost the UK £15bn by June, leading business group says
In the Lords the former Tory Foreign Office minster Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon asked Jenny Chapman during the PNQ on the Greenland tariffs threat (see 4.05pm) if the government had assessed the impact the proposed tariffs might have.
Chapman said they would be “extremely damaging, not least to our car industry, to aerospace, life sciences, to steel”. But she not put a figure on that.
But the British Chambers of Commerce has tried to estimate the potential damage.
After a meeting this morning about the crisis with Chris Byrant, the trade minister, Shevaun Haviland, the BCC director general, said:
Throughout tariff developments, the government has kept a cool head and continued to negotiate. That’s seen us establish a competitive advantage over many other countries in the US market for goods like steel and pharmaceuticals.
We are still in the foothills when it comes to these new tariff proposals from the President and there is some way to go before we will have final clarity on them.
But should the worst-case scenario come to pass, then the impact would be significant. A £6bn hit at the end of January, rising to £15bn in June.
If that happens, orders will drop, prices will rise, and global economic demand will be weaker as a result. That would be a lose-lose situation for everyone.
Updated
Minister defends government's decision not to hit back at Trump over tariffs threat, saying 'aim is to de-escalate'
Jenny Chapman, the development minister, has defended the government’s refusal to hit back at the US over President Trump’s latest threat to use tariffs against the UK.
She was responding in the House of Lords during a private notice question on the latest tariffs threat.
Lord Purvis, the Lib Dem leader in the Lords, said that the threat showed something “obvious to everyone”, that Trump was an “unserious person”.
He went on:
The threat from the US to, not only a very close ally in the European Union, but a Nato partner, and then to punish us for standing with them, is utterly reprehensible.
The PM said the actions are completely wrong. But the government refuses to raise a formal complaint to the WTO [World Trade Organization], whose rules these are trashing.
He said that they’re completely wrong because they’re economic coercion, but has refused to put in place protective anti-coercion measures.
What is the point of saying something is completely wrong when you do completely nothing? As a result of it?
Chapman replied:
I think it’s called diplomacy. And our aim is to de-escalate the situation and not to take measures which would inevitably cause this to escalate and get more damaging for our manufacturers and for people’s jobs.
Jenrick tells female broadcaster she needs her 'head checking' after she suggests he's patronising towards women
Robert Jenrick, the former shadow justice secretary, told a female broadcaster “you need your head checking” after she asked him about his attitude to women.
In an interview on Times Radio, Kate McCann put it to Jenrick that most of the former Tory colleagues he had been criticising were women. She also asked why, at his press conference with Nigel Farage last week, Jenrick made a point of repeatedly mispronouncing Kemi Badenoch’s name. (He pronounced the initial syllable “bad”, as in opposite of good, whereas it is meant to be “bade”, as in bade farewell.)
Jenrick replied:
I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. If you, Kate, think that this is important, then you need your head checking. What matters here is the state of the country, and the country’s in a real mess.
When McCann said the press conference came across as “quite blokey”, Jenrick again said that he had no idea what she was on about. McCann said that most women would understand. Jenrick said, if she was suggesting he was sexist, that was “extremely offensive”, because he was a husband and father of three daughters.
“If you, Kate, think that this is important, then you need your head checking.”
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) January 19, 2026
Robert Jenrick says he finds suggestions he's dismissive of female journalists and politicians "offensive".@RobertJenrick | @KateEMcCann pic.twitter.com/YLyKTMMwru
Jenrick’s new colleagues in Reform UK are unlikely to side with McCann on this. Farage himself has been criticised for being patronising towards female journalists.
One of the women criticised by Jenrick, and mentioned by McCann, was Liz Truss, the former PM. In an article for the Times published this morning, Jenrick said Badenoch should have expelled Truss from the party.
He said:
Truss’s disastrous tenure as prime minister destroyed the savings of tens of thousands of people in this country. In 42 days, she single-handedly demolished the party’s reputation for fiscal credibility, undermined the country’s credit ratings and forced many to re-evaluate their retirement.
Since that time, Mrs Truss has embarked on an unrepentant, vainglorious global media tour in which she proudly declares that her unique blend of economic incompetence should be the model for fiscal policy worldwide. All this as a Tory member.
Why hasn’t she been removed? Well, because removing her would be difficult. She has friends in the party. It isn’t the done thing. It’s easier to let her just remain. Nobody has the gumption to face the issue, no matter how offensive it is to the victims of her ineptitude. And if the party doesn’t have the balls to kick out Truss, will it really have the gumption to take on the vested interests that stand in the way of all the change our country needs?
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has said that Keir Starmer’s response on Saturday to President Trump threatening to impose tariffs on Nato allies not supporting his Greenland plans was correct.
Starmer said:
Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong.
In an interview with Matt Chorley for Radio 5 Live, Farage said:
I felt the prime minister’s instinctive response, to say this was completely wrong, was actually the correct thing to say.
But let’s see how tough we can be. Let’s see how good a negotiator he is. Some of the evidence, when it comes to the EU reset and the Chagos deal, is our prime minister is not a born negotiator, and that would be my concern.
Yvette Cooper has held talks with her Danish opposite number, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, at Carlton Gardens, her official residence as the foreign secretary.
As Sky News reports, she told him:
The future of Greenland is for the Greenlanders and for the Danes alone. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark and those principles around sovereignty are crucial.
She also said it was “completely wrong and counter-productive” for President Trump to threaten allies with tariffs to get them to support his plan to purchase Greenland.
The visit was arranged before the Trump tariffs were announced on Saturday.
In the Commons Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, is taking questions.
After the government cancelled the debate on the Hillsborough law planned for this evening (see 11.30am), there was time to fill in the schedule today. With that in mind, the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, has granted four urgent questions. And there will be two ministerial statements too.
Here is the list, with rough timings.
After 3.30pm: A Treasury minister answers an urgent question from Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, on business rates.
Around 4.15pm: A Foreign Office ministers answers an urgent question from Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, on Iran.
Around 5pm: A local government minister answers an urgent question from James Cleverly, the shadow housing, communities and local government secretary, about local elections being cancelled.
Around 5.45pm: A Foreign Office minister answers an urgent question from the Labour MP Sarah Champion about the proposed Chinese “super-embassy” in London.
Around 6.30pm: Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, makes a statement about Donald Trump’s tariffs threat relating to Greenland.
Around 7.30pm: Alex Davies-Jones, the victims minister, makes a statement about the Hillsborough law.
Mandelson says European leaders should follow Starmer in talking down prospects of trade war with US
Peter Mandelson, the former ambassador to the US, has said that European leaders should adopt the non-confrontational tone favoured by Keir Starmer in their response to Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs until he is allowed to buy Greenland.
In an interview with the World at One, Mandelson said:
This is not a moment for grandstanding. It’s a moment for taking the heat out of the situation. It’s a time for sensible diplomacy and dealmaking.
And that’s why I think that there are some in Europe who could do worse than take a cue from our own prime minister this morning, who I thought was pitch perfect, not just in saying the trade war is in absolutely nobody’s interest – and he’s right on that – but also that it’s better to talk and discuss than indulge in rhetoric and commentary and gestures.
Mandelson was particularly critical of the French government, accusing them of grandstanding. But he also hit out at Bronwen Maddox, director of the foreign policy thinktank Chatham House, saying that in a speech last week she had argued for jettisoning the US alliance. That idea was “self-indulgent nonsense”, he said.
He said the UK needed to preserve its alliances with the US and Europe.
Asked if he thought Trump would end up getting control over Greenland, Mandelson said he thought there was “a deal to be made”. But he said that was “not the same as having a shakedown imposed on us by means of duress and threats”, which would be “completely unacceptable”.
The latest edition of the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast is out. It features Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey talking about Keir Starmer’s press conference this morning.
Reeves pulls out of event celebrating City as stock markets fall following Trump tariff threats
This morning Rachel Reeves pulled out of an event at the London Stock Exchange, marking a “new golden age” for the City, as concerns about Donald Trump’s fresh tariff threats sent global markets tumbling. As PA Media reports, stock markets in the UK, France and Germany were down sharply on Monday morning, while gold prices rose to hit a fresh record high.
Lauren Almeida has more on this on our business live blog.
Farage says Trump's tariffs threat 'wrong' and he will be 'having words' with US officials about it at Davos
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, is normally proud of his friendship with Donald Trump, and he rarely criticises him in public. But on Saturday, after Trump announced tariffs on eight Nato countries not supporting his proposed purchase of Greenland, Farage said he did not support the move, which he said would “hurt” the UK.
Today, speaking to journalists as he unveiled his latest defector (see 12.56pm), Farage said that Trump’s proposal was “wrong” and that he would be said he would be “having some words with the American administration” about it in Davos.
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, has described Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European countries that do not back his call for a US takeover of Greenland as “deeply damaging”. Swinney told PA Media:
The announcements made by President Trump over the weekend are deeply damaging and they are the wrong thing to do.
They have the risk of undermining the economy of Scotland and the United Kingdom because of the scale of the tariffs but they also risk undermining the security and the safety of the Nato alliance because of the steps, and the approach, that have been taken in relation to Greenland.
So, at an economic level, and at a security level, this approach being taken by President Trump is wrong and should not be pursued.
How Starmer declined to back Ed Davey's call for king's visit to US to be cancelled if Trump implements tariffs threat
And this is what Keir Starmer said at his press conference (see 9.49am) about not wanting to call off King Charles’s state visit to the US in retaliation over the Greenland tariffs. Starmer said:
In relation to the king and other issues, as I said in my speech I’m focused on the pragmatic response here, not the suggestion of others.
And my focus is on what’s in the national interest for our country, what is going to best protect workers, families, businesses, and I believe that’s the approach I’ve set out.
Yesterday Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, called for the state visit to be cancelled if the Trump tariffs go ahead. But Davey did not repeat the proposal in the statement he issued this morning. (See 9am.)
What Starmer said about UK's nuclear deterrent being dependent on 'good relationship with US'
In his response to a question from ITV’s Robert Peston at the press conference this morning (see 9.40am and 11.20am), Keir Starmer admitted that the effectiveness of Britain’s nuclear deterrent depended on having a good relationship with the US. He said:
I don’t want to lose sight of the central goal here, which is to avoid the seriousness that a trade war would bring.
In relation to your broader point, we do have to remember at all times that it is in our national interest that we continue to work with the Americans when it comes to defence, to security, and to intelligence.
Our nuclear deterrent is our foremost weapon, and deterrent, when it comes to, securing the safety of everybody in the United Kingdom, my primary duty.
And that requires us to have a good relationship with the United States.
But it doesn’t mean, as I said a moment ago, that we pretend we don’t have differences, We do have differences. And I’ve set out some of those differences here this morning in relation to Greenland.
In theory, the UK’s nuclear deterrent – which relies on one of the UK’s four Trident submarines always being at sea, undetected, ready to fire nuclear missiles at an enemy – is operationally independent. But the missiles (though not the warheads) are provided by the US, which also services them, which is what Starmer was referring to when he said the entire system depended on a good relationship with Washington.
• This post was amended at 12.18 GMT to refer correctly to the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent, not its predecessor, “Polaris”.
Updated
UK should offer 'far stronger challenge' to Trump than Starmer is doing so far, Plaid Cymru says
There is quite a strong correlation between the enthusiasm with which a political party urges Keir Starmer to denounce Donald Trump, and the likelihood of their forming a government at Westminster. That does not mean what they say it is wrong, but it does imply they are not held back by worrying about having to negotiate with him.
A good example is this statement from the Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth about the Starmer press conference. He said:
The threat to annex territory, coupled with the use of tariffs to bully allies into submission, is an unacceptable abuse of power and should be met with a far stronger challenge than that given by the prime minister this morning.
Using economic coercion against democratic nations for defending collective security must be unequivocally condemned. International agreements cannot be treated as expendable when they become inconvenient.
The future of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland alone. Their right to self-determination must be upheld.
With the United States acting in an increasingly chaotic and unpredictable way, the UK must deepen its ties with reliable allies in Europe, grounded in shared values, international law and mutual respect.
The polls suggest ap Iorwerth is on course to become Wales’s first Plaid first minister after the elections in May.
There has been speculation that Keir Starmer may travel to Davos this week so that he can discuss the Greenland crisis in person with Donald Trump, who is due to be there. Starmer was asked about this at his press conference. In reply, he said that he would be speaking to Trump again in the coming days, but he did not say whether that would be in person at Davos or on the phone.
Here is the text of Keir Starmer’s opening statement at his press conference.
Starmer says he wants to 'get balance right' after No 10 delays final debate on Hillsborough law amid row over spies opt-out
Keir Starmer has said he wants to “get the balance right” on the proposed Hillsborough Law, after an amendment was pulled at the 11th hour over concerns it could provide a get-out clause for spies.
The government withdrew the legislation from Monday’s parliamentary agenda entirely after initially planning for its report stage and third reading to go ahead this afternoon without the controversial amendment being debated, PA Media reports.
Concerns were raised that intelligence agencies could have used the amendment to avoid being bound by the proposed duty of candour.
Speaking at his press conference this morning, Starmer said:
I care hugely that we get this right, that we right the wrongs for very many families who have been let down and ensure a better future for families.
In relation to the duty of candour, we’ve been clear that that matters.
What we’re now trying to do is just make sure we get the balance right when it comes to the application of any principle to the security and intelligence agencies.
Obviously, I have to focus on the national interest – my primary duty as prime minister, which is to keep this country safe and secure, that is the duty I hold above all other duties, and I take it really seriously, which is why we’re just taking time to make sure that we get that balance absolutely right.
Ministers are now speaking to campaigners and bereaved families to try to agree on how to move forward.
What journalists and commentators are saying about Starmer's press conference
And this is what some other journalists and commentators are saying about the Keir Starmer press conference.
From Shashank Joshi, the Economist’s defence editor
Tough balancing act from Starmer today & don’t think he got it quite right. “Britain is a pragmatic country. We look for agreement...We prefer solutions to slogans. And we will not indulge in commentary & gesture politics that harm the British people”
For the past year there have been two camps in the government and Whitehall how to respond to the Trump problem.
One, spearheaded by Varun Chandra in No 10, sees the US as a rising power whose advantages are being compounded by technological innovation. They believe the UK’s best bet is to seek a deal with MAGA on AI & tech. Mandelson’s recent Spectator essay exemplifies this view, though I think it looks a little silly in light of the past week’s developments.
A second camp sees the priority as deepening ties with Europe. Most recent UK foreign policy successes, they argue, have been with Europe: new deals with France, coalition of the willing, etc. They want to see greater consideration of the customs union option as part of this effort.
I understand the foreign secretary wanted to come out more strongly on Greenland sooner, but was held back by No 10. Starmer has offered a fairly measured statement today, and he is right to point to UK dependence on US capabilities. The UK would be unusually exposed in the case of a retaliatory spiral leading to US pressure on security, intelligence, nuclear and defence.
But I think it would be very hard & diplomatically costly for the UK to try and stay on the sidelines if there was a tariff-security spiral in the weeks ahead, let alone any unilateral US moves on Greenland.
From Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor
The PM is ruling out economic retaliation against Donald Trump’s new tariffs - or at least any time soon - while nonetheless saying he strongly opposes the US President’s attempt to expropriate Greenland.
He believes, he says, that Trump will be amenable to reason, though - as I said in my question to him - all evidence suggests otherwise.
It was the rest of Keir Starmer’s statement that shows what is primarily driving his response to Trump’s bullying.
He repeatedly said that the UK’s security and intelligence capability was dependent on friendship with America, so economic war would carry excessive risks.
And more serious than the rest, the UK’s nuclear deterrent would swiftly be crocked without US servicing of the missiles.
From Beth Rigby, Sky’s political editor
Been to many PM speeches, this is the gravest I can recall. PM outlines UK’s response to Trump’s threat on tariffs. Says US remains close ally > but this is moment of great jeopardy. PM clear UK cannot accept US demands. Prospect of trade war & collapse of alliances looms.
From Rob Powell from Sky News
Starmer’s press conference...
- Certainly no ‘Love Actually’ moment
- Comes close to ruling out tariff retaliation, splitting from EU.
- Justifies the approach by saying the “gesture politics” would harm the British public.
- UK will keep talking to calmly find a way forward.
So essentially, we’ll carry on with the same approach - unflashym, quiet engagement & diplomacy.
The problem here is that Starmer couches his outlook & actions in the language of values... when President Trump speaks solely in the language of interests.
From James Heale from the Spectator
Ed Balls used to use a musical analogy to reflect two types of people in politics: ‘amplifiers’ and ‘dampers’. Today’s presser showed again that Keir Starmer is a resolute member of the latter camp:
From ITV’s Libby Wiener, responding to a tweet quoting what Starmer said about not thinking Trump is serious about using military action against Greenland (see 9.51am)
Brave words from @Keir_Starmer when the evidence so far suggests exactly the opposite
From Tom Newton Dunn, the former Sun political editor
Starmer’s Greenland press conference in a nutshell: I’m angry too, but I won’t retaliate with tariffs on Trump or cancel the King’s visit. My softly softly approach with him works, and will again here.
He’s both right and wrong about this. It has worked, but only to a point.
From Simon Nixon, a former Times and Wall Street Journal columnist
Starmer’s speech confirms what I speculated here: that Britain will be weakest link in Europe’s attempts to stand up to Trump over Greenland
Here is Pippa Crerar and Peter Walker’s story about the Keir Starmer press conference.
Starmer's press conference - snap verdict
When he was US president, Barack Obama seemed to relish the nickname “no drama Obama”. He took office at a time of financial crisis, and being viewed as ultra-calm and deliberative was seen as a bonus. The “no drama Starmer” version never quite took off (despite the best efforts of some), but this was the PM we saw this morning.
We were told in advance that Starmer was not going to use his speech to pronounce the last rites over the UK-US relationship (see 8.31am) and, in news terms, the main takeaway was what he said playing down the prospect of the UK joining the EU in imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US. (See 9.36am.) He also suggested that some of Donald Trump’s threats were exaggerated (see 9.51am) and he expressed hope in the power of calm negotiation to find a way forward. So, while critical of the Trump Greenland tariff threat, he was more conciliatory than most other European leaders have been, and notably non-confrontational.
Pro-Americanism is deeply embedded in UK prime ministerial politics (in part because of deep state aspects of the intelligence relationship that aren’t particularly visible) and most prime ministers of the post-war period would have ended up saying something similar in these circumstances (with the possible exception of Ted Heath). Starmer seems to be caculating that Trump is, to some extent bluffing, and that he will back down. He often has, and so maybe Starmer will be proved right. But there remains a risk that Starmer has miscalculated, and that the UK-US relationship will end up damaged beyond repair.
Updated
Keir Starmer has finished his press conference. He took a reasonable number of questions but – in line with its new policy of restricting lobby briefings – No 10 is not holding lobby briefing today, which means that journalists won’t have the chance to collectively put follow-up questions to the PM’s spokesperson.
Starmer says he wants to restrict time under-5s spend on screens, as he confirms teen social media ban being considered
Q: Do you support banning social media use for under-16s?
Starmer replied:
On the question of social media more broadly, I think we need to do more to protect children. And that’s why we’re looking at a range of options and saying that no options are off the table.
We’re obviously looking at what’s happened in Australia, something I’ve discussed with the Australian prime minister.
I don’t think it’s just a question of social media and children under 16.
I think we’ve got to look at a range of measures. I’m particularly concerned about screen time for under-fives, which is not so much about social media, but about literally screen time and the impact it’s having on children when they arrive at school.
So I do think we need to look across the range. But, in direct answer to your question, do we need to do more to protect children when it comes to social media and screen time and associated harms, then yes, we do.
Updated
Q: [From the Guardian’s Peter Walker] Today Trump’s message to the Norwegian PM has been widely reported. Can you understand why people think he just isn’t serious?
Trump goes full Mad King..
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) January 19, 2026
In a letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister, Trump blames his coming invasions on Norway refusing to give him the Nobel Prize.
"Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an… pic.twitter.com/v7fC2IPApX
Starmer says he undersands why people in the UK felt as they did about the tariff’s announcment.
Q; [From Andy Bell’s Five Live] Don’t you think you have been too soft on Trump?
Starmer does not accept that. He says the approach he has taken has generated billions of pounds in investment, securing many jobs.
And security cooperation with the US keeps the UK safe, in ways he cannot always discuss, he says.
Starmer says he does not think Trump seriously considering military action against Greenland
Q: [From the Telegraph’s Ben Riley-Smith] Do you think Trump is genuinely considering military action against Greenland?
“I don’t actually,” says Starmer.
He says he thinks this can be resolved by discussion.
Q: [From the i’s Kitty Donaldson] The US supreme court will soon rule on the tariff policy. Is it worth waiting until that judgment? And what is your answer to the question about the king’s visit?
On the supreme court, Starmer says he does not want to wait until the supreme court ruling comes out.
On the question about the king’s visit, Starmer says he wants to focus on “the pragmatic response here”.
That implies he is not in favour of the boycott some people are calling for.
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Starmer says he clarified nature of European troop deployment to Greenland when he spoke to Trump
Q: [From Gary Gibbon from Channel 4 News] Is there anything that Trump could do that would make you stop thinking of him as an ally? And do you think he announced tariffs because he had been misinformed about the nature of the military deployment by some European countries to Greenland?
Starmer said he spoke to Trump about the deployment yesterday, and stressed that soldiers were going there to protect it from Russia.
(He does not dispute the suggestion that Trump may have believed it was an anti-US deployment.)
On the other point, he says working with allies does not mean pretending they don’t have differences.
Starmer says he does not accept UK has to choose between US and Europe
Q: [From GB News’s Christopher Hope] Is it time to choose between the US and Europe?
Starmer replied:
Firstly, I don’t think it’s right for us to choose between the US and Europe. That’s not a new position today. That’s the position I’ve consistently held, as have previous governments.
Starmer avoids question about whether Greenland row should lead to cancellation of King Charles's visit to US
Q: [From ITV’s Robert Peston] It is clear that it has been wrong to assume that Trump respects international law. When will you respond with tariffs? And will you speak to the king about cancelling his planned state visit to the US?
Starmer replied:
As I’ve said, threatening tariffs on allies is the wrong thing to do. Completely wrong. A trade war is not in our interests. And therefore, my first task is to ensure we don’t get to that place, which is what I’m focused on.
He did not address the state visit point.
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Starmer plays down prospect of imposing retaliatory tariffs on US
Starmer is now taking questions.
Q: Would you consider responding with tariffs?
Starmer says he does not want a trade war. He says tariffs would not be in anyone’s interests.
We must find a pragmatic, sensible, sustained way through this that avoids some of the consequences that will be very serious for our country.
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Starmer criticises politicians who have responded to Greenland crisis with 'grandstanding'
Starmer concludes by welcoming the stance taken by Kemi Badenoch on Greenland.
But, he goes on:
[In] moments like this there will always be people who reach for the performative, who think an angry social media post or grandstanding is a substitute for hard work.
That’s an understandable instinct, but it’s not effective. It never has been.
It may make politicians feel good, but it does nothing for working people whose jobs, livelihoods and security rely on the relationships that we build across the world.
This seems to be a jibe at people like Ed Davey (see 9am) and Zack Polanski (see 9.15am).
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Starmer says he spoke to Trump yesterday.
He welcomes the role he is playing in Gaza, and his efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.
And he says foreign affairs matter to people in the UK.
In today’s world, geopolitics is not something that happens somewhere else. It shapes the cost of energy, the price of food, the security of jobs, and the stability that families rely on to plan their lives.
Starmer restates his view that Trump's tariff threats over Greenland 'completely wrong'
Starmer says Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Nato allies over this is “completely wrong”.
Denmark is a close ally of the United Kingdom and of the United States, a proud Nato member that is stood shoulder to shoulder with us, including at real human cost.
In recent decades, alliances endure because they’re built on respect and partnership, not pressure.
That is why I said the use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong.
It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance, nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland security as a justification for economic pressure.
Such measures hurt British workers, British businesses and the British economy.
And that is why I’ve been so clear on this issue. A trade war is in no one’s interest, and my job is always to act in the UK’s national interest.
Starmer says Greenland's future must be decided by Greenland and Denmark 'alone'
But, Starmer says, the future of Greenland is for a matter for Denmark and Greenland to decide on their own.
There is a principle here that cannot be set aside, because it goes to the heart of how stable and trusted international cooperation works.
And so any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone. That right is fundamental and we support it.
Starmer calls for 'calm discussion' on future of Greenland
Turning to Greenland, Starmer calls for a calm discussion.
On Greenland, the right way to approach an issue of this seriousness is through calm discussion between allies.
And let’s be clear, the security of Greenland matters, and it will matter more as climate change reshapes the Arctic, as sea routes open and strategic competition intensifies.
The High North will require greater attention, greater investment and stronger collective defence.
Starmer says a close relationship with the US delivers concrete outcomes for the UK.
Our cooperation on defence, nuclear capability and intelligence remains as close and effective as anywhere in the world, keeping Britain safe in an increasingly dangerous environment.
We’ve secured good trading terms in key sectors, including cars, steel, aerospace and life sciences, protecting British jobs and manufacturers.
That is why we take the approach that we do, because it delivers concrete outcomes in the national interest.
Starmer says he is determined to keep UK-US relationship 'strong, constructive and focused on results'
Keir Starmer is speaking now.
He says the world has become more turbulent. Events are moving fast.
At moments like this, what matters is being clear about the values that guide us.
He says the UK will defend those values.
Starting with the US, he says the US and the UK “are close allies and close partners”.
He says he is determined to keep that relationship “strong, constructive and focused on results”.
Zack Polanski says UK can no longer basis its security policy on being 'America's poodle'
When Zack Polanski was elected Green party leader, he was widely criticised for expressing doubts about Nato. Donald Trump’s Greenland threats have arguably vindicated his position. In an article in the New Statesman, he says the UK should cut security links with the US. He says:
It’s now terrifyingly clear that betting our entire national security on being America’s poodle will simply not be a tenable situation for much longer. So the question is, what do we do about it?
First, we need to disentangle our security apparatus from the USA so that we are genuinely independent. As a first step, the government should urgently review how we can remove US bases from British soil while maintaining our own security – and retaining our ability to support our allies in Ukraine. There are currently thirteen US military bases in the UK operated by an estimated 10,000 personnel. If Trump were to take military action against Greenland, we need to be able to act fast to peacefully and quickly remove America’s military presence from our country. The government should also cancel its £240m deal with US firm Palantir, signed despite MPs raising serious security concerns about the company.
In the article, Polanski also says the UK should ditch Trident, and carry out “a genuine security review that takes into account the serious threats facing the UK today”, such as the climate crisis.
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Lib Dems urge Starmer to join EU in imposing retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump's 'act of economic thuggery'
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has reiterated his call for the UK to join the EU in imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US. In a statement this morning he said:
Donald Trump’s attempt to ransom us over the sovereignty of a Nato ally is an act of economic thuggery that cannot go unanswered. The prime minister’s strategy of appeasement has failed. We must show the White House that the UK will not be bullied into submission while our industries are targeted and our sovereign allies are threatened.
The government must immediately cancel the £3bn ‘Trump tax’ on our NHS. We should not be handing over billions in pharmaceutical ransom payments while our own health and care services are in crisis. We should also swiftly coordinate with our European partners to prepare a robust package of retaliatory tariffs and measures to hit Trump and his cronies where it hurts.
Britain is strongest when we stand tall with our neighbours, not when we act as a doormat for a bully. We need to lead a coalition of the willing in Europe to protect our interests and defend our values. It is time to show Donald Trump that neither the UK economy nor Greenland are his playthings.
Stock markets fall as Trump renews tariff threats
Most of the Guardian live blogs are focused on the Trump Greenland crisis today.
On the business live blog, Lauren Almeida says stock markets are falling in Europe in response. She wrote about an hour ago”
Investors in Europe are spooked: futures for the continent’s European Stoxx 50 index are down 1.51%. Futures for the UK’s FTSE 100 blue chip index are down 0.48%, while the French Cac 40 is posed to fall 2.1% and the German Dax pointing to a 1.35% drop at the open.
In Asia, the picture has been more mixed as investors digested reports from China that its economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in 2025, though it slowed in the last quarter. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 slipped 0.7%.
Oil prices and the dollar are falling too. Brent crude is down 0.73% to $63.66 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate is down 0.61% to $59.08 a barrel. The US Dollar index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of other major currencies, is down 0.23%.
Jakub Krupa is covering this on his Europe live blog too.
How Starmer told Trump in call yesterday applying tariffs on allies for pursuing collective security 'wrong'
Yesterday Keir Starmer spoke about the Greenland crisis to Donald Trump, the US president, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish PM, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, in separate phone calls.
This is what Downing Street said in a readbout covering all four calls.
The prime minister had a number of calls with leaders this afternoon …
In all his calls, the prime minister reiterated his position on Greenland. He said that security in the High North is a priority for all Nato allies in order to protect Euro-Atlantic interests.
He also said that applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is wrong.
Starmer’s call with Trump was “short and cordial”, according to Sky.
Here is an extract from an analysis of the Greenland crisis by Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.
Keir Starmer, his fate increasingly tied with Europe, has not yet said if the UK will retaliate, but the benefits of Brexit are rapidly evaporating. His trade agreement with the US, announced with fanfare last year, has not yet been signed. The indefinite postponement risks weakening his position in the Labour party. He has rebuffed those who argue for the UK to join the EU customs union, by saying it would be impossible as it would undermine the UK trade deal with the US. With no trade deal, and an extra 10% blanket tariffs on UK imports, that argument looks threadbare.
Moreover in the wider – and perennial – Churchillian choice for the UK between the values of the open sea, represented by the US, and those of Europe, the case for the open sea has been dealt yet another blow. When Bronwen Maddox, the director of Chatham House, the voice of the UK foreign policy elite, declared last week that the western alliance was over, one can be sure similar views are being expressed privately in the UK Foreign Office.
And here is the full article.
The EU faces a similar dilemma too. Jennifer Rankin has written about that in her analysis.
Here is her conclusion.
When Trump introduced his so-called liberation day tariffs in 2025, European leaders denounced them as “wrong”, harmful, mutually destructive and pledged a “robust response”. In the end divisions among the 27 member states and determination to shelter national industries from Trump’s countermeasures put the EU on the path of appeasement rather than confrontation. As the 80-year-old transatlantic relationship goes through epoch-defining changes, the next few weeks will reveal whether this time is different.
Starmer to hold press conference amid Trump threats
Good morning. Less than two weeks ago David Lammy, the deputy PM, was in the US where, at an event to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American declaration of independence, a time capsule was buried including a letter from Lammy saying:
The relationship between our two nations has never been stronger. Over our long history together, the United Kingdom and the United States have become the closest of allies, united by shared values and mutual respect.
It would be nice to think that the time capsule, due to be opened in 2276 (the 500th anniversary), includes another, private letter from Lammy saying that he knew this wasn’t true and that he was only saying it to suck up to the Maga crowd. But never mind; Donald Trump has exposed the falsehood himself.
After a year of avoiding saying almost anything critical of the US president, Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Nato allies that have objected to his (illegal) plan to annex Greenland has prompted Keir Starmer to finally speak out. Trump’s proposal is “completely wrong”, he has said. As Peter Walker reports in our overnight story, Starmer also made this point when he spoke to Trump yesterday.
Starmer is holding a press conference in Downing Street soon where he will set out his response in more detail.
According to briefing overnight, Starmer is not planning a full Love Actually moment. He is not expected to threaten drastic retaliation, Macron-style, and he will not accept that the rupture is permanent. “Now it is time to lower the temperature and for cooler heads to promote diplomatic off-ramps — expect that to be the UK’s focus this week,” a senior British official told Politico.
Maybe that is the right approach. But this is set to be the biggest crisis of the week – or maybe of the year, or even the decade – and there are plenty of people in UK politics who would like Starmer to be more robust.
Here is the agenda for the day,
9.15am: Keir Starmer holds a press conference in Downing Street about Donald Trump’s threats to Greenland.
Morning: Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is on a visit in the City of London.
2.30pm: Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: MPs are likely to be pushing for an urgent question, or ministerial statement, on the Trump tariff threats relating to Greenland, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
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