The government will seek to persuade Donald Trump that harming the UK by raising tariffs is not in its interests, the foreign secretary has said, amid fears of a looming trade war.

David Lammy said he would seek to “make clear” to the United States that “hurting your closest allies” is not in Mr Trump’s interests.

Sir Keir Starmer’s government is working to ease tensions with the new president, whose promise to increase tariffs on imports to the United States could harm the British economy.

Mr Lammy also said critical comments he made about the president-elect were “old news”.

Mr. Trump has said he wants to increase tariffs on goods imported from around the world by 10%, and increase them to 60% on products from China.

David Lammy was asked whether the UK would seek a special trade deal with the US so that no additional tariffs would be imposed on UK imports to the US.

“We will seek to assure and make clear to the United States – and I believe they will understand – that harming your closest allies cannot be in your medium- or long-term interest, regardless of the pursuit of public policy regarding some of the issues posed by China,” he told the BBC’s Newscast podcast.

Asked whether he had apologized for his comments, including calling the president-elect a “sociopath neo-Nazi sympathizer” or whether Mr. Trump had spoken about it when they met in New York in September, Mr. . Lammy replied “not even vaguely”.

The foreign secretary said he “felt in his bones” that there could be another Trump presidency and was “quite impressed” by the Trump campaign when he met with the Trump team. campaign earlier this year.

But he said a state visit next year would be “a bit of a tall order” because it takes time to organize.

Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Trump was “nice to talk to” in a phone call on Wednesday evening in which the Prime Minister congratulated him on his “historic victory”.

“From defense and security to growth and prosperity, the UK-US relationship is incredibly strong and will continue to flourish for many years to come,” the Prime Minister said on X .

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said earlier that in terms of possible tariffs, “a lot of inflammatory things” are said during an election campaign, but the important thing now is what Mr Trump actually does.

“We obviously have interests as a trading nation. We want to protect and look after our interests, and we always want to engage in dialogue on this subject with the American administration.

“But to anyone speculating about what exactly will happen, I would advise waiting to see what he actually does, rather than taking into account everything that has been said during a campaign,” he said. he told Sky News.

Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said it was important the Government ensured the “mood music” was right with the new administration to forge strong relationships.

“I think it’s important that this administration has found itself in a position where it’s already in a difficult position with the Trump administration, based on the comments that have been made,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has demanded an apology for comments made by senior Labor figures about the president-elect.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, meanwhile, sought to downplay the impact that past criticism of Mr Lammy would have, pointing out that JD Vance had used “choice words” about Mr Trump himself, but that he was still chosen as a vice-presidential candidate.

“Well, look, the vice president-elect of the United States has used some choice words about the president-elect in the past, but the fact is those comments were in the past,” she told reporters.

She said she had “no doubt” that the government would be able to work constructively with the new Trump administration.

Sir Keir dodged a question about Mr Trump allegedly describing him as “very left-wing” in private conversations with senior British officials.

Asked about a Bloomberg report that the president-elect repeatedly called the prime minister “very left-wing”, Sir Keir said his meeting with Mr Trump in New York several weeks ago and his phone call with him after the election result, were “very positive, very constructive”.

The president-elect has long complained that U.S. taxpayer dollars fund European security and sharply criticizes that NATO members are not spending enough.

The prime minister said on Thursday that increasing defense spending to 2.5% “remains the commitment” of the government, but did not set a timetable for achieving it.

“We are going down the 2.5% path because there is nothing more important than the security of our country, the national security of our country,” he said.