UK's Starmer seeks strong trade relations with the US in the wake of Trump's tariffs

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that he would seek a strong trade relationship with the U.S. after President Donald Trump suggested he would slap Europe with tariffs after he hit America's biggest trading partners — Canada, Mexico and China — with import taxes.

Starmer spoke to reporters while hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at his country estate on the eve of a mission to improve relations with the European Union.

“In the discussions that I have had with President Trump, that is what we have centered on, a strong trading relationship," he said. “So it is very early days.”

Canada and Mexico ordered retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump's announcement that the U.S. on Tuesday will stick a 25% levy on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on goods from China. Trump said he “absolutely” plans to impose tariffs on the EU.

The U.K. left the EU in 2020, following a referendum in 2016. Trump, who supported the Leave side in the Brexit vote, has not yet said whether he plans to target the U.K with tariffs.

The tit-for-tat tariffs have triggered fears of a global trade war.

“Tariff increases really right across the world can have a really damaging impact on global growth and trade, so I don’t think it’s what anybody wants to see,” British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC.

Starmer is heading to Belgium to meet with EU chiefs Monday, where the U.K. leader is aiming for a relationship “reset”.

While ruling out rejoining the EU. trade bloc five years after Brexit, Starmer said he wants to forge a closer relationship on defense, energy and trade.

“I think that is certainly in the U.K.’s best interest, I do believe it’s in the E.U.’s best interest, and already I hope that in the last seven months there’s been a manifest difference in approach, tone and relationship,” he said.

Starmer hosted Scholz at Chequers, the prime minister's country residence in Buckinghamshire 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of London, where the two leaders discussed Ukraine and the Middle East, according to a Starmer spokesperson.

The prime minister spoke of their common approach to “key issues and challenges,” including their shared commitment to Kyiv as the war with Russia enters its fourth year this month.

The two agreed that Russia's invasion had emphasized the need to beef up and coordinate defense production across Ukraine, according to a readout of the meeting from a Starmer spokesperson. The U.K. and Germany signed a defense pact in October, described by officials as the first of its kind between two NATO member countries, to boost European security amid rising Russian aggression.

The British government's strategic defense review later this year will include lessons learned in Ukraine and the need to outmaneuver Russian President Vladimir Putin's hostile acts across the continent, Starmer said.

Starmer thanked Scholz for visiting in the middle of a difficult re-election campaign. Scholz's center-left Social Democrats are lagging in the polls behind the center-right Christian Democratic Union and the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, with three weeks to go before the Feb. 23 vote.

“When I started as prime minister seven months ago now, I was determined to strengthen the relationship between our two countries — already very good, but I thought it could be stronger on a number of fronts," said Starmer, leader of the center-left Labour Party. "And thanks to your leadership, I think we’ve made real progress.”

Scholz said the visit that included a walk around the grounds of the estate and a lunch was a "good sign of the very good relations between our two countries, and indeed between the two of us.”

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, welcomes Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chequers, in Aylesbury, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, speaks with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz as they have a walk in the garden of the Chequers, in Aylesbury, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, walks with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the garden of the Chequers, in Aylesbury, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer waits for Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz to arrive at the Chequers, in Aylesbury, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)

Members of the media cover the meeting between Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chequers, in Aylesbury, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, speaks with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz as they have a walk in the garden of the Chequers, in Aylesbury, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)