[By Guancha Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]

Local time on Wednesday, after US President Trump announced the so-called "reciprocal tariffs", No. 10 Downing Street "breathed a sigh of relief" - the tariff imposed on British imports was 10%, only half of the 20% tariff imposed on the EU, which fell into the lowest tier of "benchmark tariffs". In London's view, this was a "good result".

According to reports by the BBC and the Financial Times on March 3rd, UK Prime Minister Starmer said on Wednesday that such results proved the success of his patient diplomacy with Trump. No. 10 Downing Street responded that Starmer's diplomatic efforts had saved thousands of jobs in the UK, but he still needed to continue negotiating the UK-US trade agreement, hoping to further reduce tariffs on British exports to the US eventually.

A No. 10 Downing Street official added: "Any tariff is not good, and we do not want any tariffs at all. But these tariffs are lower than those of other countries, proving our approach is correct. This is important because the difference between 10% and 20% relates to tens of thousands of jobs."

He also stated that the UK government would continue negotiations with the US, staying "calm" in its response. He said, "We hope to reach a sustainable trade agreement and naturally aim to reduce tariffs. We will continue to push forward with this work tomorrow."

BBC Sky News cited sources as saying that the UK government was digesting the new tariff news, but overall, people believed it was a "good result".

One source even expressed joy, stating that a 10% tariff indicated that "the UK joined the 'friendly nations club' of the US, which is very valuable".

On February 27th local time, US President Trump held talks with visiting UK Prime Minister Starmer. Video screenshot.

Despite the extremely optimistic attitude of the UK government towards the new US tariffs, The Guardian pointed out that the UK's economic growth forecast might still be downgraded, tens of thousands of jobs would be lost, and the government might be forced to cut spending or increase taxes further in the autumn. Moreover, Trump's policy of imposing tariffs on all imported cars and steel and aluminum products did not grant any preferential exemptions to the UK.

Earlier on the same day, Starmer told MPs in his speech that the UK government was "prepared for everything that could happen" regarding US tariffs, with all options "on the table," but he would avoid making any "instinctive reactions".

Within an hour after the US announced its comprehensive tariff policy, UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds issued a statement emphasizing that while striving to reach a trade agreement with the US, the UK did not rule out the possibility of taking retaliatory actions.

Reynolds' stance was similar to Starmer's. He emphasized that the UK "had a range of tools" and would "not hesitate to act if necessary".

"No one wants a trade war." He reiterated that the focus of the UK government's work was to reach an economic trade agreement, but also stated that "nothing is impossible", and that the UK government would "take all necessary measures to defend the national interests of the UK".

Reynolds added, "The US is our closest ally, so our approach is to stay calm and committed to reaching this agreement, hoping this will mitigate the impact of today's announcement."

According to the Financial Times, during the process of seeking a trade agreement, Starmer has proposed to the US to reduce or eliminate the UK's digital service tax, which has a significant impact on American tech giants. He also proposed reducing tariffs on some meats and seafood exported from the US to the UK. UK Ambassador to the US Mandelson was also seeking to reach a technical agreement with Washington, covering enhanced cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and space.

It is worth noting that the opposition Conservative Party is also trying to claim credit for the lowest tariff, calling it a "Brexit dividend".

Conservative Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Andrew Griffith said in criticizing Labour that "one ray of hope is that Brexit has kept us subject to far lower tariffs than the EU, and Labour voted against it no less than 48 times. The Brexit dividend will protect tens of thousands of British jobs and businesses."

However, Brexit has brought new challenges to the UK in dealing with US tariffs. The Financial Times pointed out that while Starmer was striving to "restart" relations between the UK and the EU, Trump's imposition of different levels of tariffs on the UK and the EU could lead to tension between London and Brussels.

In addition, there were risks in Northern Ireland's trade relations. According to the UK's post-Brexit trade agreement, this region remains part of the EU's single goods market and simultaneously part of the UK's customs zone. Given the EU's stated intention to retaliate against US tariffs, this means that US goods shipped to Northern Ireland would face EU retaliation. Whether Starmer will cooperate with the EU to counter the US remains uncertain.

This article is an exclusive piece by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7488906319269757481/

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