Will Keir Starmer’s government sell out the safety of UK teens in a deal to mitigate Donald Trump’s tariff apocalypse?
That’s the question parents’ groups are asking as the UK, along with every other country, searches for ways to persuade Washington to dial down its new aggressive tariff regime and avert a full-scale trade war.
Saddled with “only” the 10% baseline charge, Britain got off lighter than many, including its recent partners in the European Union, which must now cough up 20% levies on exports. But it’s still about to take a catastrophic hit — the UK economy is, of course, exposed to a general global downturn, and will feel the pinch of the additional US tariffs on its car and steel sectors. More concerning, Britain’s finances are in such a dire state that the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned the wafer thin headroom Chancellor Rachel Reeves set aside to avoid breaching her fiscal rules will be blown out of the water by Trump’s tariffs.
Bloomberg still doesn’t understand who pays for tariffs then. Jesus.
This isn’t about who’s paying rather what kinds of leverage involved parties have and ethics of sacrifices that could be made.
I feel this was missing in the summary, so here is more from the article:
And that’s what’s worrying parents — specifically those such as members of the Molly Russell Foundation, set up in the name of a 14-year old London girl who took her life after viewing videos of suicide and self-harm on her phone — who campaign for greater online protection for young people.
… In recent days, there have been additional reports that the draft transatlantic trade agreement also includes a pledge to review the Online Safety Act, the landmark legislation requiring providers to shield under-18s from harmful content.
That would be a betrayal of parents not just in the UK but those around the world who are relying on Britain to take a lead in this area.
