Theresa May appealed to Donald Trump’s sense of fairness yesterday as she described as “unjustified” his decision to impose tariffs on EU steel and aluminium imports.

Adopting markedly more moderate language than other world leaders, the prime minister said that she was “disappointed” by the decision to impose a 25 per cent duty on European steel and a 10 per cent duty on aluminium, which both came into effect yesterday.

She avoided any mention of the need for retaliation, even as other EU figures warned that tit-for-tat sanctions on goods such as Levi’s jeans and whiskey would come in on June 20. The Times reported yesterday that Westminster officials were refusing to endorse the EU-wide package of sanctions, despite enthusiastically praising them behind the scenes…