Trump earthquake in the UK: A dark day for the world

One of the first to congratulate Donald Trump, who was elected US President after a four-year hiatus, was UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In his message, Starmer stated, “Congratulations to President-elect Trump on your historic election victory. I look forward to working with you in the years ahead.

As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.

From growth and security to innovation and technology, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”

However, contrary to the Prime Minister's diplomatic language, Donald Trump's victory has not been welcomed in British politics. Trump's “America First” rhetoric and his perspective on world politics are causing concern among the British public.

MISOGYNIST, RACIST, LIAR!

Although party leaders have issued congratulatory messages due to political protocol, there is a prevailing concern that the policies Trump will pursue will conflict with the UK's interests in the relationship between the US and the UK.

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer made one of the harshest statements.

Denyer said, “A dangerous bigot, bully and liar is preparing to become the leader of the world's most powerful country once again. A man who is a climate change denier, a proud racist and misogynist, and who has tried to undermine elections and incite an insurrection.

On this dark day, we stand in solidarity with all US citizens who fear a convicted felon and a fascist in the White House. And we stand with everyone around the world, including those in Gaza and Ukraine, who fear this moment and now have to live with the consequences.

Those of us who believe in democracy must work together to defeat authoritarianism and the politics of hate” she declared.

Emily Thornberry, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump's victory was disappointing and made the world unpredictable.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey used strong language in his statement following Trump's victory. Davey stated that it was a dark day for the world and that this made fixing the UK's relationship with the EU even more urgent. Davey warned the government to pursue a policy of rapprochement with Europe, saying, “The world's largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue. Families in the UK will also be worried about the damage Trump will do to our economy and national security, given his track record of starting trade wars, weakening NATO and emboldening tyrants like Putin. Fixing the UK's broken relationship with the EU is now more urgent than ever. We must strengthen trade and defense cooperation across Europe to protect ourselves from the damage Trump will cause.”

London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan also announced that people were worried about the results of the US elections.

PROTEST TO BE HELD IN FRONT OF THE US EMBASSY

Weyman Bennett, co-chair of the anti-racism campaign group Stand Up to Racism, announced that they would hold a "No to Trump" protest at the US embassy in London this evening at 18:00. Other organizations supporting the protest will include members of the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Abortion Rights Campaign.

ACTIVISTS PAINTED THE EMBASSY

Supporters of the British environmental activist group Just Stop Oil, which opposes fossil fuels, painted the wall of the US embassy in London with orange paint to protest Trump's election.

UK ECONOMY WILL BE AFFECTED

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) predicted that if Trump imposes a 60% tariff on Chinese goods and a 10% tariff on goods from all other countries, the resulting trade war would reduce UK growth by 0.7 percentage points and 0.5 percentage points in the first two years, respectively. NIESR estimated that within two years, the UK inflation rate would be 3-4 percentage points higher and interest rates would be 2-3 percentage points higher.