When President Donald Trump dropped his economic bombshell on April 2nd, the world reeled. A sweeping set of tariffs — up to 50% for some nations — sent global markets scrambling. The European Union was hammered with a brutal 20% tariff on most goods. But the UK? We got off with 10%. Better, sure — but let’s not delude ourselves. This wasn’t diplomacy. It was a warning shot.

Why the softer blow for Britain? Simple. Brexit. No EU shackles. Our ability to trade independently spared us the worst. It was a moment of clarity — and a moment of vindication for those who championed Britain’s sovereignty. But don’t get too comfortable. Trump’s message is crystal clear: no free trade without free speech. And right now, under Labour’s draconian regime, the UK is failing that basic test of liberty.

The US State Department isn’t mincing words. It is “concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom”. Their focus? The prosecution of Livia Tossici-Bolt — a woman charged for silently holding a sign offering conversation outside an abortion clinic. Her crime? Thought. Her sentence?

Possibly losing her liberty. This is not the Britain we know — this is Keir Starmer’s Britain. Let’s be real. The optics are devastating. The UK is lumped in the same tariff bracket as Costa Rica, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kosovo — not exactly a sign of global prestige. And despite Starmer’s puffed-up claims about progress on a US-UK trade deal, the reality is far more damning.

Britain is being cold-shouldered, not because of our economics — but because of our values, or the lack thereof under Labour. The irony is rich. Starmer and his ilk spent years mocking Brexit, sneering at sovereignty, and waving EU flags.

But it's our independence from Brussels that’s kept us from taking a full economic hammering. The EU’s bureaucratic web has left it vulnerable. Yet here we are — a free nation acting like a vassal state, shackled not by Brussels but by Labour’s own authoritarian instincts.

When Trump’s administration says “no free trade without free speech,” they’re not bluffing. This is a man who weaponizes tariffs with surgical precision — not just to punish economic imbalance but to expose ideological hypocrisy. And Starmer, with his dithering and delay, is sleepwalking into a trade war that Britain simply cannot afford.

The government's response? A 417-page dossier of potential retaliatory tariffs. Motorcycles, bourbon, jeans, guitars — all in the crosshairs. But here’s the kicker: retaliation only works when you hold leverage. Starmer has none. His economic plans are already in tatters.

The OBR warns that Labour’s fiscal “headroom” is about to be obliterated. Tax hikes or spending cuts are coming — and this tariff fallout is accelerating the reckoning.

And yet, what does Labour do? They continue to stifle dissent, muzzle speech, and police thought. They deny any link between trade talks and free expression, even as Washington says otherwise. It’s delusional.

The tragedy is that there was a path forward. A confident, sovereign Britain, unapologetically pro-freedom and pro-trade, could have emerged as a serious partner to the US. Instead, Labour offers a timid, technocratic version of governance — all grey suits and no guts — and in doing so, they risk isolating Britain from our most crucial ally.

Starmer claims he’ll “fight for the best deal for Britain.” But if he won’t even fight for our freedom to speak, what exactly will he fight for?

Britain may have left the EU — but under Labour, we’re still governed by cowards.