Starmer meets with business leaders to discuss Trump tariffs

Transcript

00:00Well thank you for joining me down the street today. Last night the President of the United

00:07States acted for his country and that is his mandate. Today I will act in Britain's interests

00:16with mine. I understand how important this is for your businesses as it is for the British

00:22people. So we move now to the next stage of our plan. Decisions we take in coming days

00:30and weeks will be guided only by our national interests, in the interests of our economy,

00:38in the interests of businesses around this table, in the interests of putting money in

00:43the pockets of working people. Nothing else will guide me, that is my focus. Clearly the

00:52future will be an economic impact from the decisions that the US has taken, both here

00:59and globally. But I want to be crystal clear, we are prepared. Indeed one of the great strengths

01:07of this nation is our ability to keep a cool head. I said that in my first speech as Prime

01:16Minister and that is how I govern. That is how we have planned and that is exactly what is

01:24required today. Nobody wins in a trade war, that is not in our national interest. We have a fair

01:33and balanced trade relationship with the US. Negotiations on an economic prosperity deal,

01:39one that strengthens our existing trading relationship, they continue and we will fight

01:47for the best deal for Britain. I will only strike a deal if it is in our national interest and if it

01:55is the right thing to do for the security of working people, protects the pound in their

02:01pocket that they work so hard to earn for their family. That is my priority, that is always my

02:09priority. So today marks a new stage in our preparations. We have a range of levers at our

02:17disposal and we will continue our work with businesses across the country to discuss their

02:24assessment of the options. As I say our intention remains to secure a deal but nothing is off the

02:32table. We have to understand that just as with defence and security, so too for the economy and

02:42trade, we are living in a changing world, entering a new era. We must rise to this challenge and that

02:52is why I have instructed my team to move further and faster on the changes I believe will make our

03:00economy stronger and more resilient because this government will do everything necessary to defend

03:07the UK's national interest, everything necessary to provide the foundation of security that working

03:14people need to get on with their lives. That is how we have acted and how we will continue to act

03:22with pragmatism, cool and calm heads, focused on our national security.