Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has admitted it was likely that Donald Trump’s tariffs would hit the UK. The comment came a day before President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' when he plans to impose levies on a number of goods coming into the US.

Sir Keir said: “The likelihood is there will be tariffs. Nobody welcomes that. We are obviously working with the sectors most impacted at pace on that. Nobody wants to see a trade war but I have to act in the national interests.”

That means that “all options remain on the table” in response, he added.

The Prime Minister insisted businesses wanted a “calm and collected response to this, not a knee-jerk”.

He told Sky News: “We are of course negotiating an economic deal which will, I hope… mitigate the tariffs.”

Asked if he had been “played” by US President who is set to hit the UK with tariffs despite efforts by Sir Keir to build a good relationship, the Prime Minister said: “The US is our closest ally.

“Our defence, our security, our intelligence are bound up in a way that no two other countries are.

“So it’s obviously in our national interest to have a close working relationship with the US, which we’ve had for decades, and I want to ensure we have for decades to come.”

He said talks on an economic deal would normally take “months or years” but “in a matter of weeks we have got well advanced in those discussions”.