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Watch: Nandy changes her tune on Trump trade deal

Credit: Good Morning Britain

Hypocrisy is in the air this morning! As the tariff war between China and the US rages on, Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to avoid taking retaliatory action over Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs – and instead negotiate a transatlantic trade deal with his American counterparts. But while Starmer’s army now insists coming to an agreement is their preferred option, it’s worth remembering that Labour politicians haven’t always looked upon negotiations with Trump quite so favourably – as Good Morning Britain’s Ed Balls was quick to point out in today’s interview with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

Grilling the parliamentarian over the airwaves this morning, Balls – an ex-Labour MP himself – reminded Nandy that in opposition she had blasted then-Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson as ‘pathetic’ for approaching the US for a post-Brexit trade deal. Going on, he quizzed the Culture Secretary:

EB: Boris Johnson in 2020, Keir Starmer in 2025. It’s exactly the same, isn’t it?

LN: No, it’s not the same.

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Steerpike
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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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