Lord Frost argued that Brexit has positioned the UK well to sidestep Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.
The former Brexit minister explained that by charting its own course, Britain can respond to global developments “in the best possible way,” a flexibility that the larger, more cumbersome EU lacks.
Responding to a Sky News article suggesting that the UK’s advantageous position against tariffs was largely accidental, the Tory peer took to Twitter, stating: “Not by accident, though. I have consistently maintained that taking charge of your own national affairs is the best strategy for any country. No matter how large you are, you can’t control external events, but you can position yourself to respond to them optimally. That’s exactly what we can do after leaving the EU.”
This discussion coincides with comments from the President of the European Commission, who declared that the world has entered an era of “hyper-competitive and hyper-transactional geopolitics.” Ursula von der Leyen added, “In this hot-headed world, Europe’s best approach is to remain level-headed.”
Over the weekend, Donald Trump announced tariffs against China, Mexico, and Canada, stating that the EU would “definitely” face tariffs as well. However, tariffs on Mexico and Canada were suspended at the last minute for 30 days in exchange for concessions on border control and drug enforcement.
In response, China has now imposed counter-tariffs targeting the United States’ energy sector, further escalating the trade war that has rattled global markets.
