2 w. ago UK economy grows faster than expected in February as Trump tariff threat looms

The figures are a positive for Labour, but economists said growth will likely be hampered by the US trade war in the coming months.

Politics

3 w. ago China vows to ‘fight to the end’ against latest Trump tariff threat

Beijing accuses US of blackmail and adding a ‘mistake on top of a mistake’ as Wednesday deadline for latest levies loomsTariff market reaction –live updatesChina’s government says it will “fight to the end” if the US continues to escalate the trade war, after Donald Trump threatened huge additional tariffs in response to China’s retaliatory measures.On Tuesday, China’s commerce ministry accused the US of “blackmail” and said the US president’s threats of additional 50% tariffs if Beijing did not reverse its own 34% reciprocal tariff were a “mistake on top of a mistake”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s tariffs: a spectacle of struggle and control | Editorial

The US president wields tariffs not as a policy tool but as an instrument of pressure, rewarding loyalty and punishing defiance – even among alliesDonald Trump has probably not read much Michel Foucault. But he appears to embody the French philosopher’s claim that “politics is the continuation of war by other means”. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his fondness for tariffs. He presents taxing foreign imports as a way to rebuild the American economy in favour of blue-collar workers left behind by free trade and globalisation. Yet he plainly thinks that politics is not about truth or justice. It is about leverage and supremacy.Britain is learning first-hand that Mr Trump, with his us-versus-them framing and taste for spectacle, is an accidental Foucauldian – using tariffs as tools of loyalty and dominance, even against allies. If Mr Trump follows through on his threat to impose a 20% tariff on all imports, UK growth will suffer. The effect depends on the response....

Politics

4 w. ago China and India to face brunt of Trump tariff threat against Russian oil buyers

‘Very angry’ Trump says he will punish all buyers of Russian oil if he believes Putin is scuppering a ceasefire deal on Ukraine

Economics

4 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Trump sanctions threat on Russian oil buyers could hit China, India

Trump threatens Putin over ceasefire; Russia claims it has taken control of a Donetsk village. What we know on day 1,132China and India could be affected if Donald Trump introduces tariffs of 25-50% against countries buying Russian oil, analysts and officials have suggested. Dan Sabbagh reports that the US president told NBC he would impose such measures within a month “if a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault”, as he vented frustration at Vladimir Putin’s delaying tactics and attempts to discredit Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president.Some countries, including China and India, are not participating in anti-war sanctions against Russian oil. Secondary sanctions or tariffs imposed directly on them by the US could further limit Putin’s access to oil revenue to fund the war. While not joining the international sanctions against Russia, China has been wary about breaching them in case it attracts secondary penalties. Some Chinese banks, for example, have curtail...

Events

4 w. ago UK responds to Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff threat

Home Secretary Yvette Coope rdid not rule out the UK government hitting back with tit-for-tat measures but said talks were ongoing to reach a deal with the White House

Politics