Keir Starmer hits back in crisis phone call to Donald Trump over tariff increases

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told US President Donald Trump he was 'wrong' to apply tariffs to his allies over their opposition to him taking over Greenland.

Trump has once again been insisting that the US needs to take over Greenland, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark at the moment, and said that America would be doing this whether it was 'the easy way' or 'the hard way'.

His administration has said they are seeking the 'complete and total purchase' of Greenland, but Trump has insisted he'll have it 'whether they like it or not'.

Denmark is part of NATO and as a territory of Denmark, Greenland ought to be able to expect protection from NATO, but it's an alliance underpinned by US military power and what happens when the biggest member of an alliance has territorial ambitions against other members?

Keir Starmer told Donald Trump he was 'wrong' to apply tariffs to his allies over Greenland (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Greenland has made it very clear that it doesn't want to be taken over by the US, while several NATO countries have sent a handful of troops over in a show of support and have been hit with tariffs over it.

The UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland have all been hit with a 10 percent tariff on all goods, which will kick in on 1 February and then ramp up to 25 percent on 1 June, until Greenland was sold to the US.

The eight countries affected by tariffs said Trump's actions 'undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral' in a joint statement.

According to a Downing Street spokesperson, Starmer also directly told Trump in a phone call that 'applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is wrong'.

He's also expected to speak out against the tariffs in an emergency statement today (19 January) and reiterate his position that the future of Greenland 'is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes', not the Americans.

Trump, rarely a man to listen when someone tells him 'no', insisted a deal for the US to acquire Greenland 'will be done'.

Greenlanders have made it very clear they don't want to be part of the US (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

"We have subsidised Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration," Trump wrote on Truth Social as he declared the new measures.

"Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it."

He went on to say that countries sending troops to Greenland was 'a very dangerous situation for the safety, security, and survival of our planet'.

Trump said: "These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable.

"Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question."