British PM Keir Starmer visits Tata Motors JLR amid Trump's tariff turmoil

British prime minister Keir Starmer chose the UK headquarters of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the country's largest carmaker — owned by India’s Tata Motors — to deliver a key speech on Monday, 7 April, amid ongoing turmoil unleashed by US president Donald Trump's global trade tariffs.

The car industry is among the worst hit for Britain, as it has been targeted with 25 per cent tariffs on imported vehicles, prompting Starmer to pledge a change of course on the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) regulations to support carmakers such as JLR. This follows the firm’s recent announcement that it would “pause” shipments to the US as it assesses the impact of the “new trading terms”.

“I think EV targets are a good thing, they’re good for the climate, good for business certainty and investment, good for British manufacturing,” said Starmer, addressing JLR workers in the West Midlands region of England.

"But I accept that those targets have to work for British manufacturers and I don’t want British firms like this one put in a position where you have to pay a hefty fine or buy credits from foreign EV companies. So today we’re going to introduce much more flexibility into EV mandates, we’re going to help companies based in Britain reach the targets in a way that supports growth,” he said.

“We’re going to cut down any fines which I don’t want or expect to see by 20 per cent, and any money that’s raised will be invested directly back into support for the British car industry,” he added.

In an attempt to strike an optimistic note, Starmer said the UK was prepared for this “age of industrial renewal” even as he admitted that tariffs are an unwanted levy.

Starmer stated: “Nobody welcomes tariffs; we don’t want to get into a trade war. Obviously, we will continue to talk to the US about a (trade) deal to alleviate the situation whilst keeping all options on the table — but what’s important (and in direct answer to your question) is at a moment like this, we have to shape our future, we have to step up.

“We can’t be cowed and simply say there are things happening in a changing world which make it more difficult and therefore we retreat. This is the moment to seize the opportunity.”

Starmer was asked if Downing Street may reconsider the invitation extended on behalf of for Trump’s state visit to the UK in the coming months.

"It's not in our interest to simply rip up that relationship," Starmer responded.

"We have to keep pragmatic and calm in the steps that we take, but we also need to keep a sense of perspective and context. We have to step up the challenges that tariffs undoubtedly put on the table to us," he said.

The leader reiterated that the UK would only strike a trade agreement with the US if it’s in the national interest and the right thing to do for the country’s security and working people.

Starmer went on to use his speech to also announce a “turbocharge” of the UK’s life sciences sector, with a government-backed investment of up to GBP 600 million to create a new Health Data Research Service.

The move is aimed at transforming access to the state-funded data by providing a "secure single access point" to national-scale datasets, slashing red tape for researchers.

“Life sciences, like our brilliant car industry, is a great British success story. The measures I am announcing today will turbocharge medical research and deliver better patient care. I am determined to make Britain the best place in the world to invest in medical research,” said Starmer.

The aim is to accelerate the discovery of life-saving drugs and improve patient care, the UK's department for science, innovation and technology (DSIT) has revealed.

Clinical trials will also be fast-tracked to develop therapies of the future, with the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up cut to 150 days by March 2026 — where the latest data collected in 2022 was over 250 days.

This will be achieved by cutting bureaucracy and standardising contracts, so time isn’t wasted on negotiating separate details across different NHS organisations and ensuring transparency by publishing trust-level data for the first time, DSIT said.