Welsh Lib Dems: Scrap the NHS ‘Trump tax’ and work with Europe to stand up to Trump’s bullying
Responding to Donald Trump’s announcement of a 10% tariff on UK goods from 1 February linked to demands that the US acquires Greenland, Jane Dodds MS, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has said the Government must immediately scrap the £3 billion “Trump tax” on the NHS and coordinate with European allies on countermeasures.
Jane Dodds warned that Wales would be among the areas most exposed to a tariff shock, with key Welsh sectors including advanced manufacturing, steel, food and drink, and life sciences reliant on export markets and vulnerable to rising trade barriers.
She added that the Greenland threat is not simply a trade dispute but economic coercion aimed at the sovereignty of a democratic NATO ally, Denmark, setting a dangerous precedent for global security and international law.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats said this latest crisis underlines why Wales and the UK must pursue closer relations with the European Union and that they will continue pressing Labour to do so.
The party is calling on Keir Starmer to work in active cooperation with European allies to prepare a coordinated package of countermeasures and retaliatory tariffs, making clear that economic bullying will be met with a firm and united response. They argue that Trump has repeatedly shown he does not respond to appeasement but to strength and solidarity between democratic allies.
The Liberal Democrats have stated that Trump does not respond to appeasement, pointing to Canada’s leadership under the Liberal Party and its readiness to deploy countermeasures as an example of how democracies can deter further escalation by standing firm.
Jane Dodds MS, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said:
“Donald Trump is trying to bully the UK and ransom the sovereignty of Greenland, a territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, one of our democratic NATO allies. That is economic coercion, and it cannot be met with appeasement.
“At the same time, this Government is still planning to hand over £3 billion a year in a so-called ‘Trump tax’ on our NHS through inflated pharmaceutical costs. With health and care services in Wales under immense strain, that is indefensible. Scrap the Trump tax and put that money into frontline care.
“We must also work in lockstep with our European partners to prepare a robust package of countermeasures and retaliatory tariffs to hit Trump and his cronies where it hurts. Britain is strongest when we stand alongside Europe, not when we act as a doormat for a bully.
“Canada has shown you do not deter Trump by pleading. You deter him by standing firm and being ready to act. The Prime Minister should do the same and defend our economy, defend our allies and defend our values.”
ENDS
