BUY BRITISH CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT TRUMP TARIFFS – Starmer considering changing procurement rules to give advantage to UK firms

Major public sector projects will be told to “buy British” under plans to protect UK industry from Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Sir Keir Starmer is understood to be considering changing procurement rules to give an advantage to British firms bidding for government contracts.

It could apply to new transport infrastructure, offshore wind or defence investments that will be announced in this year’s industrial strategy and spending review.

The plan is modelled on Labour’s Buy, Make and Sell More in Britain campaign, launched by Rachel Reeves in 2021, when the party was in opposition.

Government sources said the plan had been revived amid concerns about the vulnerability of the UK’s manufacturing base and the effect of Mr Trump’s tariffs on British firms.

On Monday, Ms Reeves and Sir Keir told factory workers at a Jaguar Land Rover plant in Solihull that “we have your back” as the Government scrambled to assess the impact of mass market sell-offs.