Thursday, April 3, 2025

Keir Starmer should have listened to The Independent. In the countdown to "Liberation Day", our weekend editorial advised that the prime minister stand up to Donald Trump on tariffs. In the event, his immediate response to British goods being hit with a 10 per cent import tax was equivalent to an oh-well shrug, complete with a "Donald will be Donald…" sigh.

Sean O'Grady, in his granular assessment of the new US trade policy ("a Trumpian act of karma applied to perceived foes") said that America's industrial history points to it soon coming back and biting the president on the assembly line. But first, the real-world consequences. Mark Brown, owner of a Manchester-based tech company making keyboards and other equipment for influencers and podcasters, wrote about how his business could be CTRL-ALT-DELed by Trump. 

Starmer's air of resignation at Trump's tariffs wasn't the only resignation in the air. This week also brought us the defenestration of Marine Le Pen, whose conviction for embezzlement, said Peter Allen, meant France's once-rampant anti-immigration party now has "precisely zero" chance of claiming the presidency.

Meanwhile, the military junta in Myanmar came in for criticism from Christopher Gunnes, for drone-bombing populated areas that had just suffered a devastating earthquake – an unthinkable act that ought have repercussions in the United Nations. Peter Popham suggested the natural disaster might hasten the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. 

Liberation Day turned out to be a bad day to bury good news. Hours before the tariffs were unveiled, Elon Musk was reportedly set to depart his government role to spend more time with his ailing Tesla brand. Chris Blackhurst, in his analysis of the embattled car manufacturer's "Trump slump", compares the rise and fall of the First Buddy with that of Icarus.

I love the smell of burning feathers in the morning…

Cartoon of the week by Dave Brown

Paul Clements

Deputy editor, Voices | @paulclements

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The loudest Voices

I'm struggling to think what we produce that America actually needs. The US could become entirely self-sufficient in months if it really has the appetite to – there's no way the UK could

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Income tax was brought in to fund the war against the French. We are already paying a huge amount for defence

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