79 m. ago The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s tariff ultimatum: tribute for access to America’s empire | Editorial

As the White House retools US imperialism with import duties, others must resist dependency – deepening regional ties and reducing exposure to chokepointsWhen Donald Trump stood before union auto workers in the Rose Garden he declared “Liberation Day”, promising to stand up for Main Street. Whether that pledge will be fulfilled is moot. He will declare victory either way. What the US president offered was not just an economic programme, but an imperial one.Mr Trump’s logic, if it exists, lies in the 397-page report on “foreign trade barriers” he brandished on Wednesday. Its message is brutally simple: you may sell your goods to Walmart shoppers, but only if you let US cloud services hoover up your data, US media flood your screens and US tech monopolies operate on their terms – not yours. TikTok is the test case for Trump’s platform nationalism: only US firms may mine data, reap profits and rule the digital empire. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago David Lammy says he regrets Trump has embraced protectionism, something not seen in US ‘for nearly a century’ – UK politics live

David Lammy, foreign secretary, says UK is ‘a nation that believes in open trade’ and says government is negotiating with US over economic agreementAn anti-abortion campaigner at the centre of a free speech controversy involving the US government has been found guilty of breaching a “buffer zone” outside a Bournemouth abortion clinic, PA Media reports. PA says:Livia Tossici-Bolt was convicted at Poole magistrates’ court of two charges of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order on two days in March 2023.The case involved the 64-year-old from Bournemouth holding a sign saying “Here to talk, if you want”.But I think our approach should be to slightly stand back and think, what does Britain want, and can it get from the rest of the world, and what can we contribute?And in that regard, it’s important to realise that the rest of the G7, except the US, collectively are the same size as the United States. And I would have thought a very sensible thing to be doing is having a serious co...

Politics

9 h. ago David Lammy says Trump has taken US economic policy back 100 years with ‘return to protectionism’ – UK politics live

David Lammy, foreign secretary, says UK is ‘a nation that believes in open trade’ and says government is negotiating with US over economic agreementThe official plan to increase access to NHS dental services in England has been a “complete failure”, and some of the government’s initiatives have worsened the crisis, a damning report warns, Andrew Gregory reports.David Lammy, the foreign secretary, is at the Nato HQ in Brussels this morning, where Nato foreign ministers are meeting. Speaking to the media, he said President Trump was taking US economic policy back almost a century by embracing protectionism. He said:The United Kingdom, like France, is a great maritime nation.We are a nation that believes in open trade, and I regret the return to protectionism in the United States, something that we’ve not seen for nearly a century. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago Trump claims Starmer is ‘very happy’ about tariffs imposed on Britain

UK foreign secretary regrets ‘return to protectionism’ and says Britons will be concerned about impact on financesBusiness live – latest updatesDonald Trump has claimed that the UK is “very happy” with tariffs imposed on the country as part of his shock upending of global trade, but the British foreign secretary, David Lammy, said he regretted the “return to protectionism”.Wielding a chart in the White House Rose Garden, the US president revealed on Wednesday that the UK would be hit with 10% so-called “reciprocal” tariffs as part of a sweeping drive on all countries. Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago No escape for UK as Trump targets ‘foreign cheaters’ in new global trade war

Keir Starmer urges ‘calm’ as Donald Trump reveals that UK companies face a 10 per cent tariff from 0500 GMT

Events

51 h. ago Trump’s tariffs: how might Europe respond to unleashing of trade war?

Bloc’s options include retaliating with tariffs on US goods and services and forming closer ties with other countriesDonald Trump is getting ready to impose sweeping and immediate tariffs on all foreign goods, thereby unleashing a trade war and upending the multilateral trading system that the US helped to build after the second world war.Here is how Europe might respond: Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Businesses rush goods into US foreign trade zones as tariffs loom

Policy uncertainty fuels surge in use of approved facilities that temporarily exempt businesses from paying levies

Economics

7 d. ago Rush for gold jewellery helps give retail sales a boost in February

The strong figures will raise hopes in Government that the sluggish economy will start to get moving again

Politics

7 d. ago China’s Xi urges global CEOs to protect trade supply chains; WH Smith sells high street stores – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsShares in WH Smith have dropped by 2.4% in early stock market trading in London, as traders digest the sale of its high street stores for £76m.Less encouragingly, the UK’s trade deficit has widened.finished manufactured goods (£1.8bn)semi-manufactured goods (£1.2bn)oil (£0.6bn)other fuels (£0.3bn)“The UK’s current account deficit with the rest of the world widened slightly in the latest quarter, driven by falling exports of goods.Our balance of payments statistics for recent years have been updated to incorporate improved measurement of foreign direct investment and corrected trade data.” Continue reading...

Economics

8 d. ago France's foreign minister is in China to discuss Ukraine and trade issues

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has begun a two-day visit to China during which he is to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart on the Ukraine and a longstanding trade dispute between China and Europe

Politics

3 w. ago Dollar General CEO makes grim admission amid Trump’s trade war

The CEO of Dollar General has admitted that the chain is “not anticipating improvement” for core customers in 2025, amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing foreign trade wars.

Events

3 w. ago Canada to impose 25% tariffs on nearly $30bn in US imports as trade war flares – live

Canadian foreign minister condemns ‘unjustified’ trade war and condemns ‘Trump’s talks of annexing our country through economic coercion’ Congressional brinkmanship, including repeated near-misses with shutdowns and over the nation’s $36 trillion in debt, has contributed to global ratings agencies’ moves to downgrade the US federal government’s once-pristine credit rating, reports Reuters.Democrats have long chided Republicans for threatening or voting for government shutdowns, and Republicans were quick to call them out for considering votes that could risk one. Continue reading...

Economics

last month Trump declares administration ‘just getting started’ in address to Congress

President boasted about efforts to slash federal workforce and reorient foreign policy as Democrats protested from chamberDonald Trump on Tuesday declared that his administration was “just getting started”, boasting in an extended address to Congress and the American public about his administration’s efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce, reorient US foreign policy and escalate a risky trade war as Democrats protested from the chamber with placards that read “lies” and “false”.“America is back,” Trump declared, opening the his primetime speech to a joint session of Congress, the first of his second term and the longest in American history. Republicans broke into a boisterous chant of “USA”. Continue reading...

Politics

last month Donald Trump says he is ‘just getting started’ in address to Congress

Speech comes as president has unleashed aggressive agenda to reshape US trade and foreign policy

Politics

last month Trump to address Congress after dramatic start to second term

Speech comes as president has unleashed aggressive agenda to reshape US trade and foreign policy

Politics

last month Trump addresses Congress after dramatic start to second term

Speech comes as president has unleashed aggressive agenda to reshape US trade and foreign policy

Politics