Starmer urges calm and unity in the face of Trump’s Greenland threats

Sir Keir Starmer urged the whole country to unite in the face of Donald Trump’s threats to invade Greenland and slap tariffs on the UK and other European allies.

The Prime Minister said the dispute over Greenland, which Mr Trump wants to take over because of its strategic Arctic location and mineral wealth, should be resolved through “calm discussion between allies” rather than military action or a trade war.

He also signalled Britain would not engage in a trade war with the Americans and impose retaliatory tariffs, insisting this was “not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance”.

The US president said he would charge the UK a 10% tariff “on any and all goods” sent to the US from February 1, increasing to 25% from June 1, until a deal is reached for Washington to purchase Greenland from Denmark.

Mr Trump said the same would apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland – all of whom are members of Nato.

He has not ruled out military action to achieve his aim of taking the territory, which is a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

In an emergency address from Downing Street, Sir Keir said the crisis was a “moment for the whole country to pull together”.

The Prime Minister said: “A partnership does not mean abandoning principle. That is why it’s important to be clear about who we stand with, what we stand for, and where our interests lie.

“This is a moment for the whole country to pull together, so I warmly welcome the support we’ve had with regards to Greenland and the proposed tariffs from the Leader of the Opposition (Kemi Badenoch). I thank her for her support.”

He also insisted the “right way to approach an issue of this seriousness is through calm discussion between allies”.

“Any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone. That right is fundamental,” he continued.

“The use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong.

“It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance, nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland security as a justification for economic pressure.”

Sir Keir suggested he did not think Mr Trump was genuinely prepared to use the US military to annex Greenland, and insisted there was no need for the UK to now take a side in the growing divide between the US and Europe.

He said: “I don’t think it’s right for us to choose between the US and Europe. That’s not a new position today. That’s the position I’ve consistently held, as have previous governments.

“Because we are allies with our European partners and allies with the US, and the strength in being able to keep both those alliances has served us well over the last 80 years.”

In a sign of the seriousness with which the Government appeared to be taking the threats from the US, high-profile Cabinet ministers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper sat in the audience at the Prime Minister’s announcement.

Ms Reeves pulled out of a Monday morning event at the London Stock Exchange to attend, and Sir Keir cancelled a cost-of-living related appearance at the 11th hour to make the emergency address.

The Prime Minister said he will speak to the US president about Greenland again “in the coming days”.

Mr Trump is expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week – though there are no current plans for the PM to meet him there, it is understood.

Sir Keir engaged in a diplomatic blitz on Sunday afternoon, telling Mr Trump over the phone that his threats of a trade war over Greenland were “completely wrong”.

The PM also spoke with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Nato chief Mark Rutte.

The US President said over the weekend that he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of peace” in a letter to Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Store, in which he also insisted he sought “complete and total control of Greenland”.

Mr Trump suggested the decision not to award him the Nobel Peace prize, which is given each year in Norway’s capital Oslo, had influenced his attitude to Greenland.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge told the Press Association it was “absolutely critical” to stand up to Mr Trump’s threats through close engagement with the US administration, adding: “It is totally unacceptable, and I hope the wider American public, congressmen et cetera, recognise that and, of course, the administration.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for a package of tariffs on America co-ordinated with European allies after branding the US president’s actions “economic thuggery that cannot go unanswered”.