Ed Davey has ramped up his feud with Elon Musk by calling on the government to draw up plans for tariffs on Tesla cars if Donald Trump starts a trade war with the UK.
The Lib Dem leader has been embroiled in a war of words with the X owner since Musk called him a “snivelling cretin”.
That came after Davey said Musk “clearly knows nothing about Britain” at the height of the row over child grooming gangs.
At PMQs today, Davey called on Keir Starmer to stand up to president Trump, who has announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on all steel imported into the US - including from the UK.
Davey said: “His tariffs on steel and aluminium will hit Canada the hardest – while also hitting jobs and the cost of living here in the UK.
“So in reminding President Trump who America’s true friends have been, will he prepare plans for tariffs in return – starting with tariffs on American electric cars?”
Starmer replied: “British steel is an essential part of our heartlands, and we will not abandon our skilled workforce, and it needs a level-headed assessment of the implications, which is what we’re going through at the moment.
“But we will always put our national interest first, and steelworkers first.”
Speaking afterwards, the Lib Dem leader doubled down on his call for the government to target Trump’s close ally Musk.
He said: “The prime minister has so far sat back and allowed Donald Trump and his sidekick Elon Musk to ride roughshod over UK interests while the Conservatives and Nigel Farage cheer them on.
“The government needs to draw up plans for Tesla tariffs to hit Musk where it hurts, if Trump’s administration follows through with their threats to the UK steel industry.
“Sitting back and hoping Trump won’t hurt us just isn’t going to work. The only way we can tackle Trump and Musk is by negotiating from a position of strength and showing that the UK will not be bullied from across the pond.”