As global instability mounts, Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, has issued a stark warning against Britain becoming a “poodle” to former US President Donald Trump. Badenoch’s comments come amid growing concerns over Trump’s threats to slap fresh tariffs on the UK and Europe over their opposition to his plans to annex Greenland.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Badenoch emphasised the urgent need for the UK to invest in its defences to avoid being seen as weak on the international stage. “Getting Britain working again means fixing our economy and fixing our country, and that means putting our national interest first and rebuilding our defences,” she said.
“Otherwise, we will end up being poodles as the US annexes Greenland and we’re slapped with tariffs because we have not shown any strength.”
Badenoch’s warning follows Trump’s announcement on the social media platform Truth Social that he plans to impose a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland from 1 February. These tariffs would then increase to 25% on 1 June, until a deal is reached for the US to purchase Greenland, which Trump claims both China and Russia are eager to control.
The Conservative leader also took aim at her former party colleague, Robert Jenrick, who dramatically defected to the Reform UK party this week. Badenoch criticised Jenrick’s “narrow, inward-looking and performative” defection speech, noting that it failed to mention any foreign affairs issues, such as “Russia’s war in Europe, China’s growing economic and security penetration, and the erosion of the rules-based order.”
Badenoch argued that Reform UK “presents itself as urgent and anti-establishment, yet it displays no serious interest in national security at all.” She added that the party is “afraid to speak seriously about hostile states, alliances, defence, intelligence, or economic security.”
Turning her attention to the opposition, Badenoch said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s “failure on national security is different” to that of Reform UK, “but just as dangerous.” She accused Starmer of “speaking in abstractions while allowing Chinese state influence in universities and infrastructure, Chinese intimidation and espionage on British soil, and strategic ambiguity on foreign policy.”
As the UK navigates an increasingly volatile global landscape, Badenoch’s warning underscores the importance of bolstering the country’s defence capabilities to maintain its international standing and avoid becoming a “poodle” to any foreign power.