Levi’s and Jack Daniel’s ‘on tariff hit list’ if Trump targets Britain

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer could hike taxes on American staples including Harley Davidsons, Jack Daniel’s whiskey and Levi’s jeans if Donald Trump targets the UK with tariffs. “The new government needs to put forward urgent plans to Trump-proof the economy and reassure the public that we will not see the same kind of spiralling prices that we have all experienced in recent years.” And, piling on the pressure in the Commons, Liberal Democrat EU spokesman James MacCleary said: “President-elect Trump’s confirmation of tariffs on Canada, one of the US’s closest allies, raises serious concerns about his willingness to honor the US-UK relationship. “If this is the future of US relations with their closest partners, does the minister agree that closer cooperation with the EU on defense and trade are now urgently needed, including access to the European customs union and a defense pact with the EU, going beyond the recent agreement with Germany?” Responding, Europe minister Stephen Doughty said: “We have a thriving trading and investment relationship with the US… we look forward to working with president-elect Trump in office.” With the prospect of a brutal global trade war looming, critics of the UK’s current Brexit deal have said the country needs to rejoin the EU’s customs union, single market or the bloc itself to shield itself from the devastating fallout. Mike Galsworthy, chair of the European Movement, said Mr Trump’s election makes “international waters on trade and security much more choppy”, adding: “That means the UK is better off closer to the large harbour of the EU.” A spokesman for the Department for Business and Trade said: “We look forward to working closely with President Trump to improve UK-US trading relations to support businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.”