Five weeks ago, Keir Starmer basked in the glow of Donald Trump’s approval in the White House.

After biting his lip for months, it appeared that the Prime Minister’s strategy of relentlessly sucking up to the man he once branded a ‘buffoon’ was paying off.

‘I think there’s a very good chance that in the case of these two great, friendly countries we could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary,’ the US President declared warmly at a joint press conference. 

‘We’ll see if we can do something pretty quickly.’

Fast forward little more than a month and the PM last night found himself – like the rest of the world – tuning in to watch President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement on TV to find out just how heavy the tariffs on British goods such as cars and whisky will be.

In the intervening period, the Government has made frantic efforts to secure a deal that would avert the UK being dragged into a trade war. The PM himself has spoken to President Trump repeatedly about the issue – and done his best to butter him up. 

When the President rang on Sunday, the PM made sure he was able to brief him on arrests in a case of vandalism at Mr Trump’s Turnberry golf course, which he had branded as the work of ‘terrorists’.

Sir Keir invited Mr Trump to come to the UK and formally sign a trade deal this summer. The President declined and made clear there would be no exceptions from last night’s shock-and-awe announcement.

US President Donald Trump greets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the entrance of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2025

Sir Keir has told allies there is little option but to dust himself down and try again

Sir Keir has told allies there is little option but to dust himself down and try again – despite being branded ‘supine’ by critics.

With a deal still tantalisingly in sight, there is little appetite for following the EU, Canada and others in opposing his retaliatory tariffs, not least because economic forecasters are clear it would worsen the overall impact on the UK. 

‘We all recognise this is going to be a difficult period, but there won’t be any knee-jerk reactions from this Government,’ Sir Keir told MPs.

Officials remain hopeful that a deal can be struck but freely admit they have no idea how long it might take.

The concessions needed will also notmbe an easy sell – to the public or Labour backbenchers.

The digital services tax could be watered down, potentially handing a tax break to Mr Trump’s tech bro buddies Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. 

The tax was introduced to help level the playing field between traditional sectors such as high street shops and their online rivals, including Amazon and now raises £800 million a year. 

It will not be scrapped, but both the headline rate and the threshold for paying it could be cut, leaving it less focused on the US tech giants.

President Donald Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs during his Liberation Day event in the White House Rose Garden Wednesday afternoon 

President Donald Trump holds up a giant chart showing some of the reciprocal tariffs his administration plans to charge foreign countries. Every country will be charged at least a 10 percent tariff to import goods to the U.S. 

President Donald Trump holds up his signed executive order at the conclusion of his event in the Rose Garden introducing substantial reciprocal tariffs 

Reductions in tariffs on US agricultural produce are also on the table, although officials insist they will not lift the ban on controversial products such as chlorine-washed chicken. 

And the Government is offering ‘light touch’ regulation of AI – a move which could drive investment from US tech firms, but which will reignite the debate about the safety of the sector and the fair treatment of the creative industries it pillages to build its models.

‘Everything we are discussing is going to be controversial,’ a source said.

‘That is why it is vital that we make sure the ledger balances out – we can’t and won’t just sign any deal.’ In the absence of a deal, ministers could be forced to consider bailouts for key sectors such as the car industry within months.

They may also have to erect tariff barriers to prevent cheap goods once destined for the US market from being dumped on the UK – raising the bizarre prospect that Britain could put tariffs on goods from China and the EU while sparing the US.

No wonder allies say Sir Keir is feeling frustrated, bordering on despondent.