Chancellor rejects calls for ‘Buy British’ campaign

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has rejected calls for a “Buy British” campaign in the face of tariffs from president Donald Trump, claiming it would risk making the UK appear too “inward-looking”.

Reeves was responding to a question from Daisy Cooper MP of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons to launch a nationwide campaign encouraging people to prioritise British-made goods.

Reeves said: “In terms of buying British, I think everyone will make their own decisions. What we don’t want to see is a trade war, with Britain becoming inward-looking, because if every country in the world decided that they only wanted to buy things produced in their country, that is not a good way forward.”

Cooper criticised this response calling it “an insult to businesses being pushed to the brink by Donald Trump’s trade war” and claiming it was “completely out of touch with the British people who are rallying behind local businesses in their time of need.”

Number 10 echoed the chancellors position confirming there were no plans to launch a campaign to focus on British goods.

A spokesperson for the prime minister told The Guardian: “That is something the prime minister and the chancellor have previously said, and we want to see fewer trade barriers around the world, such that we’re continuing to support our economy. At the same time, we also continue to prioritise and support British manufacturers, British producers.

“We have a significant programme of support, whether it’s farmers, whether it’s manufacturers, as yesterday with supporting the car industry. So, we can take a two-pronged approach. We can be an open trading nation whilst also supporting British producers and manufacturers.”

In 2021, Reeves supported a “make, buy and sell more in Britain” initiative while in opposition, which proposed awarding more public contracts to British companies and requiring public bodies to report on domestic sourcing.