The prime minister could face a major problem.
Keir Starmer could face a major challenge following another threat from Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer could face another huge setback as Donald Trump has reportedly threatened the UK with tariffs. GB News was halted for the breaking update as the Trump administration warned Sir Keir about following in the footsteps of Australia and imposing a social media ban on under 16s.
The White House claimed the ban could undermine freedom of speech and argued that parents should be responsible for managing their children’s social media use. Sir Keir is expected to unveil plans within days to tighten restrictions on children’s access to social media, with a speech outlining the new policy scheduled for next week. However, it has now been reported that the Trump administration could put tariffs on the UK in response to Labour’s plan.
GB News presenter Martin Daubney was joined by the host of the Politics, Politics, Politics Podcast, Justin Young, who said: When Trump came back into power in 2024, you did see a lot of tech giants come to Mar-a-Lago and one of their asks was is the White House going to protect American industry and fight back against some of this stuff.”
Daubney agreed: “The tech giants will no doubt try and throw this legislation into the treacle by saying, ‘There could be a financial impact if you’re limiting our audience and if you can’t prove that there is a tangible harm, then you’re restricting our business practice.'”
He added that tech firms such as Google, Apple and X have warned that if their profitability is affected, they will retaliate.
However, Young said he believes Trump’s threats are primarily about gaining leverage.
He added: “This is more about leverage, as all Donald Trump tariffs are. They’re the way he can invent leverage in the shortest amount of time. Whether or not that’s legal, whether or not they stand, I think they’re invented so they can be taken away if the White House is keeping something.
“What he wants out of the Keir Starmer government, how long the Keir Starmer government is going to be here, those are the big questions that will likely be answered in time.”
Trump’s new threat will no doubt put further strain on the UK’s “special relationship” with the US, which has faced its fair share of tests over the last few months.