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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed Donald Trump will be a “force for good in the world” just days after the business secretary warned a ‘tariff war’ inspired by the next US President could lead to higher inflation and unemployment.
The danger posed by potential US tariffs is greater for the UK than other comparable countries, the business secretary warned as Mr Trump prepares to return to the White House on Monday. Mr Trump’s presidency will be a “challenging time for anyone responsible for trade”, amid fears of a global trade war, he added.
In the run-up to his election, the Republican promised to implement 10 to 20 per cent tariffs on all goods coming into the country – a figure that rises to 60 per cent for those from China.
Earlier this month he also ramped up threats over his desire for the US to gain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the Canal or the autonomous Danish territory, he said “no, I can’t assure you on either of those two” and added “but I can say this, we need them for economic security”.
In an interview with The Times, Ms Badenoch suggested his time in the White House would be positive.
She told the paper: “The leader of the US is the leader of the free world. So yes, he will be a force for good in the world. But I want him to also be a force for good for the UK.”
In a wide-ranging interview, she also conceded that this year’s local elections will be “quite difficult” for the Conservative Party.
She hit out at Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party and said the European Convention on Human Rights is not “the only problem” when it comes to immigration policy.
“These local elections will be quite difficult for us as a party,” she said. “If you compare to where we were four years ago it was a record high. So compared with that it will be very bad.”
After last year’s disastrous election defeat, which saw the Tories lose seats to Labour, Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, she said Farage’s outfit was “a party that is out to destroy” the Conservatives.
Mrs Badenoch has made clear that she will take time before making any major policy announcements.
But she also suggested that citizenship tests have “got to be about how you’re going to contribute to a country, wanting it to succeed” as she made comparisons to the Swedish system.
“I tell people that assimilation should be the target and integration should be the next best thing.”
She also said there should be “better references from communities”.
“We need everybody to step up and be a part of making sure our society is strong. That’s what used to happen. It was a lot easier.”
The interview came after Ms Badenoch was criticised for saying she would look at means testing when asked about the future of the pensions ‘triple lock’.
She said that the Conservative policy on the issue “has not changed” but that “people should ask questions, we will look at it”.
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