Taking on Trump

It’s very clear from Trump’s first few weeks in office: under his leadership, the US is going to be an unreliable and unpredictable partner. 

This is a man who promises trade wars, undermines NATO and has praised Vladimir Putin: the threats to our economy and national security are clear. 

His presidency comes at a time when Putin’s forces are still waging their illegal war in Ukraine and we see unprecedented attempts at foreign interference by Russia, including in Georgia, Moldova and Romania. 

It’s time for the UK to lead in Europe and on the world stage again, standing up for our interests by working closely with our European neighbours, particularly on security and defence so we can stand against Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. 

The Liberal Democrats are the only party prepared to stand up to Trump and take steps to strengthen the UK in the face of his belligerent bullying.

The Trump fan club in the Conservatives and Reform don’t want to do it. Labour aren’t willing to do it.

The way to deal with Trump is from a position of strength, not weakness. That means negotiating a new UK-EU customs union, as a first step to repair our trading ties with Europe. This will give us the best possible hand to play against Trump.

This is why the Liberal Democrats have passed a new policy with a comprehensive plan outlining how the UK can respond to Trump. Our plan commits to a strong UK on the world stage defending security, rebuilding European ties, and leading on trade, democracy, and climate action. By standing firm against Trump’s unpredictability and Putin’s aggression, we will protect our national interests and values.

• Ensure that Ukraine is supported including by holding a European leaders summit to seize the frozen Russian assets in the UK and Europe and giving them to Ukraine.
• Fix our broken relationship with Europe - following the party’s four-stage roadmap to rebuild the ties of trust and trade between the UK and the EU. 
• Rule out any UK-US trade deal which lowers British environmental and health standards.
• Reverse the Conservatives’ 10,000 troop cut, which has irresponsibly weakened our armed forces.
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as soon as possible, funded by raising the Digital Services Tax from 2% to 10%. Hold cross-party talks to agree a consensus on how to reach spending 3% of GDP on defence.
• Work closely with our European allies on defence and security, including our Joint Expeditionary Force counterparts including Denmark on how we should respond to Trump’s remarks regarding Greenland. 
• Ensure the UK is a world leader on climate following the US’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, including by restoring the international development budget to 0.7% of national income with tackling climate change a key priority for development spending. 

Only the Liberal Democrats will stand up to Trump, invest in the UK’s security, support Ukraine, hold back Russia, deepen our ties with European and commonwealth partners, and stand up for liberal, British values.

Trump-proof Britain's Trade

We need to fix our trading relationship with Europe to grow our economy and protect Britain from Trump’s trade war.