Kemi Badenoch Humiliated As Shadow Minister Breaks Ranks To Praise UK-US Trade Deal

Kemi Badenoch has been embarrassed after one of her shadow cabinet broke ranks with her to praise the US-UK trade deal.

Andrew Griffith, the shadow trade secretary, said the agreement “will be welcomed by exporting businesses”.

His intervention came just minutes after Badenoch said the UK had been “shafted” by Donald Trump.

Under the terms of the deal, import tariffs on British steel and aluminium being sold to America will be reduced from 25% to zero.

Tariffs on a maximum of 100,000 British cars being exported to the US will also be cut from 27.5% to 10%.

In addition, farmers in America and Britain will be able to sell beef into each other’s countries. However, the ban on hormone-treated beef coming into the UK will stay in place.

Keir Starmer said it was a “historic” deal that will save thousands of British jobs.

But posting on X, Badenoch condemned the agreement, referring referring to a US government graphic showing that, overall, the UK had cut tariffs on American imports while America has trebled those on British goods.

Badenoch said: “When Labour negotiates, Britain loses. We cut our tariffs — America tripled theirs.

“Keir Starmer called this ‘historic.’ It’s not historic, we’ve just been shafted.”

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="Twitter" data-component-id="943" data-component-props="{"itemType":"rich","index":13,"contentIndexByType":1,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

When Labour negotiates, Britain loses.

We cut our tariffs — America tripled theirs.

Keir Starmer called this ‘historic.’ It’s not historic, we’ve just been shafted! https://t.co/hWzoCAGcKx

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) May 8, 2025

","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Kemi Badenoch","author_url":"https://twitter.com/KemiBadenoch","cache_age":86400,"description":"When Labour negotiates, Britain loses.We cut our tariffs — America tripled theirs.Keir Starmer called this ‘historic.’ It’s not historic, we’ve just been shafted! https://t.co/hWzoCAGcKx— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) May 8, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Kemi Badenoch on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/KemiBadenoch/status/1920500628024909958","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"681cdaf3e4b007ccedaf6a27","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/kemi-badenoch-humiliated-as-shadow-minister-breaks-ranks-to-praise-uk-us-trade-deal_uk_681cdaf3e4b007ccedaf6a27","entryTagsList":"kemi-badenoch,trade-deal,andrew-griffith,@ai_seo_headline","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"16b0ecc6-802c-4120-845f-e90629812c4d","clickToPlayPlayer":"823ac03a-0f7e-4bcb-8521-a5b091ae948d","videoPagePlayer":"05041ada-93f7-4e86-9208-e03a5b19311b","defaultPlaylist":"2e062669-71b4-41df-b17a-df6b1616bc8f"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":5},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"681cdaf3e4b007ccedaf6a27","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"kemi badenoch","slug":"kemi-badenoch","links":{"relativeLink":"news/kemi-badenoch","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/kemi-badenoch","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/kemi-badenoch"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/kemi-badenoch/"},{"name":"trade deal","slug":"trade-deal","links":{"relativeLink":"news/trade-deal","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/trade-deal","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/trade-deal"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/trade-deal/"},{"name":"Andrew Griffith","slug":"andrew-griffith","links":{"relativeLink":"news/andrew-griffith","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/andrew-griffith","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/andrew-griffith"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/andrew-griffith/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline\", \"entry_paragraph_2\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

When Labour negotiates, Britain loses.

We cut our tariffs — America tripled theirs.

Keir Starmer called this ‘historic.’ It’s not historic, we’ve just been shafted! https://t.co/hWzoCAGcKx

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) May 8, 2025

But Griffith said: “The reduction in tariffs announced today will be welcomed by exporting businesses. The ability to strike our own free deals is a Brexit benefit and I hope this moves us conclusively into an era where this government is committed to preserve that freedom.

“Conservatives have been consistent in their support for trade agreements and the reduction of tariffs and today is the continuation of a process which started under the first Trump presidency.”

Labour leapt on the Tory disarray, posting on X: “Your own shadow trade secretary has rightly welcomed the deal Kemi Badenoch.

“Keir Starmer’s Labour government has negotiated and secured an historic UK-US trade deal. Kemi Badenoch can’t even negotiate with her own shadow cabinet.”

Share Button