Liz Truss complains Donald Trump’s tariffs on British products are ‘unacceptable and unfair’

Truss was complaining about America’s tariffs which were slapped on products from Europe including Scottish whisky, French wine and Airbus aircraft as part of a tit-for-tat dispute over EU subsidies for Airbus.

America announced last week it was planning not to impose tariffs on £5.75bn of British goods after dropping import taxes on shortbread biscuits.

But Truss wants the US to go further in dropping all of the tariffs, praising the whisky industry as ‘a jewel in our national crown’.

‘I am determined to settle the issue as soon as possible and help our struggling producers,’ she wrote in the Telegraph.

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But rather than point the finger at America she blamed the EU for not doing enough to negotiate with the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

And she insisted the government will have a better platform to end such tariffs when the UK has left the EU.

‘The government is stepping up talks with the US to try and break the impasse, and will be entering into further discussions with my opposite number US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in the coming weeks.’

It appears a possible trade deal between the UK and US in 2020 is now unlikely as a series of talks were reportedly delayed until next spring.

Last week Truss stalled an agreement with Japan because of tariffs on soft cheese such as Silton meaning the deal is unlikely to be as good as the one on offer with the EU.