UK says Greenland's future is 'non‑negotiable' amid Trump tariff threats

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy insisted the UK’s stance on Greenland is “non‑negotiable”, as European nations pushed back against Donald Trump’s decision to impose 10% tariffs on the UK and seven other countries. Keir Starmer called Trump’s imposition of the tariffs “completely wrong”.

Nandy refused to say if or how the UK would respond, but when asked whether the UK would never accept the US idea she told Sky News: “Yes, of course.” She said: “The future of Greenland is for the people of Greenland and the people of the kingdom of Denmark to determine and for them alone,” and added the view had been expressed to the American administration.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social site that the tariffs would apply from 1 February to Nato members, including the UK, France and Germany, who he said had deployed troops to Greenland, and that they would rise to 25% on 1 June if a deal to buy Greenland had not been reached. He wrote: “Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown … This is a very dangerous situation for the safety, security and survival of our planet.” Nandy declined to say whether the UK would retaliate with tariffs or other measures, such as delaying King Charles’s state visit, saying ministers would “go and have that conversation with our American counterparts” and that it was in the collective interest to work together.

Key Topics

Politics, Greenland, Lisa Nandy, Donald Trump, Denmark, Tariffs