Australia welcomes Trump’s removal of tariffs on beef and other food imports
The Australian government has welcomed the Trump administration’s removal of tariffs on beef and other agricultural exports to the US.After previously insisting his import duties were not fuelling inflation, the US president, Donald Trump, on Saturday morning Australian time signed an executive order reversing tariffs on food imports including beef, coffee and bananas.Trump, who is facing pressure over rising consumer prices, conceded in the order that “current domestic demand for certain products, and current domestic capacity to produce certain products” had influenced the decision.Last year, meat was the Australia’s second largest export to the US, behind only non-monetary gold.Since Trump’s tariff regime came into effect in April, Australian producers have been charged a 10% export duty on most goods, including beef.
The Cattle Australia chief executive, Will Evans, who welcomed the tariffs’ removal, said Australia exported about $4bn worth of beef to the US each year,The trade minister, Don Farrell, said the government had maintained that tariffs were “an act of economic self-harm” that ultimately affected American consumers who were paying for the tariffs through higher retail prices,Sign up: AU Breaking News email“We welcome the removal of tariffs on Australia’s world-class agricultural exports, including beef,” he said,“We maintain our position that tariffs on any Australian products are unjustified, and continue to advocate for their removal,”Angus Gidley-Baird, a senior analyst at Rabobank, noted the tariffs have given Australian producers an advantage over countries who also export a significant amount of beef to the US but have been subjected to much higher duties, such as Brazil.
Nevertheless, Gidley-Baird said Australian beef producers wouldn’t see too much of a change in demand, at least in the short term, because the US market “is so strong and their local production is so slow” after drought conditions in 2022 and 2023.“For us the bigger question is the longer term – if the tariffs [are reintroduced] and the US rebuilds its herd and its production,” he said.Richard Holden, a scientia professor of economics at the University New South Wales business school, said people weren’t wrong to observe that if other countries were hit with higher tariffs it “might be relatively better” for Australia.“But we’ve seen that the Trump administration’s tariffs have really shrunk the overall global trading system that’s served all countries, particularly Australia, so well,” he said.“So anything that pushes back towards where we were in terms of free trade is really good for everyone, Australia included.
”In 2024, the US was the fifth largest destination for Australian goods, with $23.8bn of exports, and the second largest trading partner for imports, with $50.5bn of products received.Jenny Gordon, an honorary professor at the ANU and a former chief economist at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said because Australia was in a trade deficit with the US, the tariffs didn’t have a large direct effect on the local economy.“What we’re more concerned about is that indirect effect on our economy,” she said.
“Anything that’s in that right direction, we’re grateful for,”Gordon pointed to the recent sweep of Democratic party victories in state and local elections as evidence US voters were “realising [Trump’s] tariff policy is not driving down the cost of living”,John Quiggin, a professor of economics at the University of Queensland, said the Australian beef industry had probably benefited on balance from the tariffs because they were lower than those imposed on other major exporters,“But it’s better not to have an administration that just uses tariffs more or less randomly as public policy,” he said,
MP Adnan Hussain quits Your Party over ‘persistent infighting’
The leftwing Your Party led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana has had a major split after another independent MP involved, Adnan Hussain, quit because of “persistent infighting and a struggle for power” in the organisation.The departure of the Blackburn MP, who is the secretary of the limited company behind Your Party, is another blow after renewed disagreements between Sultana and Corbyn, this time over the handover of membership levies.Hussain was one of four independent MPs who, along with Corbyn, signed a Your Party statement on Thursday night accusing Sultana of unnecessary delay in passing on £850,000 in donations, a move that infuriated Sultana.On Friday afternoon, Hussain said via X he had spent recent months reflecting on his role in an organisation he had believed would be based on “a commitment to equality, justice and anti-racism”.He said: “Regrettably, the reality I encountered has been far from this vision
Trump’s targeting of alleged drug vessels strains UK-US intelligence ties
It is an intelligence relationship that predates even the Five Eyes: the UKUSA alliance that began, naturally enough, in secret in 1946. But this week the strain of trying to be the closest security ally to a freewheeling White House has begun to show.Britain, it emerged, had quietly suspended intelligence cooperation with the US in the Caribbean because London does not consider the deadly US military campaign against ships accused of drug trafficking to be in line with international law.That amounts to an extraordinary open fissure in a close working relationship at a time when the US is increasing its military buildup, expanding its controversial campaign in the region with an attempt to threaten Venezuela.“I’m not sure if there is a previous example of this happening in the public domain
Britons living abroad: tell us your views on UK politics today
The last decade in British politics has been marked by instability and fragmentation, with six prime ministers in ten years, and Nigel Farage’s Reform party now leading in the polls.A study this month from King’s College London and Ipsos found that 84 percent of people now say the UK feels divided, up from 74 percent in 2020.Polling on voter intention shows a fracturing of the political landscape as people abandon two-party politics – with Reform now averaging 31 percent, Labour 18 percent, the Conservatives 16 percent, Green Party 14 percent and Liberal Democrats 12 percent.We want to hear from Brits living abroad. How do you think UK politics has changed since you left the country? Does anything surprise you about events in the UK? How does living abroad shape your views on UK politics? Do you have concerns?You can tell us about viewing UK politics from abroad herePlease include as much detail as possible
Your Party receives ‘small portion’ of withheld supporters’ donations
The leftwing Your Party, set up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, is embroiled in another public row over donations to the party.A statement from Corbyn along with Shockat Adam MP, Adnan Hussain MP, Ayoub Khan MP and Iqbal Mohamed MP states that hundreds of thousands of pounds were donated to the party “by supporters in good faith, but have since remained beyond its reach”, which they describe as being “extremely frustrating and disheartening”.It added a “small portion” of the funds was transferred to the party on Thursday which they said was “insufficient” and they will continue to pursue the immediate transfer of all the money donated.The statement posted on X by the independent alliance of MPs was not signed by Sultana and comes days after the Guardian reported on the former Labour MP and Corbyn’s quarrel over hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations.Sultana offered to transfer £600,000 from a company the party’s founders set up earlier this year, only to be rebuffed by allies of the former Labour leader who accused her of playing “political games” with supporters’ money
Starmer stands by McSweeney and says he has been ‘assured no briefings against ministers done from No 10’ – as it happened
Keir Starmer has said he “of course” retains full confidence in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, PA Media reports.I will post the full quote shortly.At PMQs yesterday Starmer dodged a question about whether he had full confidence in McSweeney, although No 10 subsequently said he did.Some ministers and MPs want to see McSweeney sacked.We’re closing this blog now, here’s a summary of the day’s main developments:The prime minister has attempted to draw a line under the briefing row, saying he has “been assured that no briefing against ministers was done from No 10” and that he has “full confidence” in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeneyWes Streeting, the health secretary, has said that he doesn’t know and doesn’t care whether Starmer is trying to identify the No 10 figure briefing against him
Starmer defies calls to sack chief of staff, claiming briefing didn’t come from No 10
Keir Starmer has attempted to draw a line under extraordinary briefings by his allies that No 10 feared Wes Streeting could launch a leadership coup, insisting he had been reassured it “didn’t come from Downing Street”.The prime minister gathered his senior staff to stress that briefings against cabinet ministers were “unacceptable” after apologising to Streeting for what had happened on Wednesday.However, his spokesperson said Starmer also accepted assurances that No 10 staff had not briefed against Streeting and that he stood by his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.Since the furore over No 10’s fears about a leadership challenge from Streeting, first revealed by the Guardian on Tuesday, there had been calls from Labour MPs for McSweeney’s resignation.One senior Labour source described McSweeney as “the great survivor” after the Downing Street gathering
Think autumn, think Piedmont – wine from ‘the foot of the mountain’
‘I’m now a one-issue voter’: US shoppers fear Italian pasta tariff will cause shortage
Jimi Famurewa’s recipe for puff-puff pancakes
Polpa position: budget tinned tomatoes score well in Choice taste test
Three plant-based chocolate mousse recipes by Philip Khoury
Don’t pour that olive brine down the drain – it’s a flavour bomb | Waste not