LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has appointed a Cabinet of Labour Party lawmakers and a few outside experts as he tries to tackle priorities including boosting a sluggish economy, building more homes and fixing the creaking state-funded health service. Labour has spent 14 years in opposition, so few have held government office before.
Here’s who is in the new government:
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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has appointed a Cabinet of Labour Party lawmakers and a few outside experts as he tries to tackle priorities including boosting a sluggish economy, building more homes and fixing the creaking state-funded health service. Labour has spent 14 years in opposition, so few have held government office before.
Incoming Secretary of State for the Home Department Yvette Cooper leaves Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Incoming Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy leaves Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Incoming Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Angela Rayner leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Incoming Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves leaves Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria pose for the media on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Starmer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Larry the Cat, Britain's mouse-catcher in chief and long time resident at the the British Prime Minister's official residence, waits to be allowed inside at the door of 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory — but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Prime Minister: Keir Starmer
Deputy Prime Minister and Levelling Up Secretary: Angela Rayner
Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister): Rachel Reeves
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (a senior minister with broad responsibilities): Pat McFadden
Foreign Secretary: David Lammy
Home Secretary: Yvette Cooper
Defense Secretary: John Healey
Justice Secretary: Shabana Mahmood
Health Secretary: Wes Streeting
Education Secretary: Bridget Phillipson
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary: Ed Miliband
Work and Pensions Secretary: Liz Kendall
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds
Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary: Peter Kyle
Transport Secretary: Louise Haigh
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary: Steve Reed
Culture, Media and Sport Secretary: Lisa Nandy
Northern Ireland Secretary: Hilary Benn
Scottish Secretary: Ian Murray
Welsh Secretary: Jo Stevens
Leader of the House of Commons: Lucy Powell
Leader of the House of Lords: Angela Smith
Chief Whip: Alan Campbell
Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Darren Jones
Attorney General: Richard Hermer
More junior appointments include Science Minister Patrick Vallance, who was the government’s chief scientific officer during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Prisons Minister James Timpson, a businessman whose chain of key-cutting and shoe-repair businesses works with ex-offenders.
This story has corrected the spelling of Defense Secretary John Healey's name.
Incoming Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting arrives at Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Incoming Secretary of State for the Home Department Yvette Cooper leaves Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Incoming Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy leaves Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Incoming Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Angela Rayner leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Incoming Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves leaves Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory, but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria pose for the media on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Starmer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Larry the Cat, Britain's mouse-catcher in chief and long time resident at the the British Prime Minister's official residence, waits to be allowed inside at the door of 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory — but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
DETROIT (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated false claims that Chinese automakers are putting up large factories in Mexico, vowing during a stop in the automaking state of Michigan to slap 200% tariffs on any vehicles the unbuilt plants make and ship to the United States.
Trump also claimed during an event in Flint that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is elected in November, there will be no more auto industry in the U.S., because work building electric vehicles will go to China.
That statement came even though automaking employment has grown since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, after dropping during Trump's first term.
“If I don't win, you will have no auto industry within two to three years," Trump said, calling any increases under Biden and Harris temporary. “You will not have any manufacturing plants. China is going to take over all of them because of the electric car.”
He told the crowd he would make foreign automakers build factories in the U.S. by imposing tariffs on imported autos, saying it “will be like taking candy from a baby.”
Foreign automakers already have multiple U.S. factories, mainly in southern states.
Auto jobs dipped 0.8% during Trump's term to just over 949,000 in January 2021, when he left office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since Biden took office that month, auto and parts jobs rose 13.6% to 1.07 million in August, so there's no evidence of the industry disappearing. Auto sales were up 2.4% in the first half of this year.
Trump said his tariffs would make Chinese vehicles built in Mexico unsellable in the U.S., forcing automakers from China and elsewhere to set up factories in the U.S.
“They’re owned and built by China in Mexico, and there are a number of them going up right now,” Trump said of Chinese factories.
Although some Chinese automakers aspire to sell in the U.S., industry analysts say there are no large Chinese-owned auto factories under construction in Mexico, and there's only one small Chinese auto assembly factory operating there. It’s run by a company called JAC that builds inexpensive vehicles from kits for sale in that country.
Trump also promised to charge tariffs on vehicles made in other countries if those countries tax U.S.-made vehicles. But often tariffs end up being passed on to consumers in the country that assesses them.
The Harris campaign issued a statement from Michigan Sen. Gary Peters saying that a second Trump term would crush auto jobs, “ceding Michigan's global auto manufacturing leadership to the Chinese government.” He said Harris has a plan to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs home "and ensure Michigan workers continue to lead the world in auto manufacturing.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)