Israel says it is expanding operation in Gaza to ‘capture large areas’

Israel is expanding its offensive in Gaza to seize “large areas” of the Strip, the country’s defence minister has said, as he called on Palestinians living in the territory to “expel Hamas and return all hostages”.

Israel Katz said the major expansion of the military operation was to “crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure” and seize lands that will be added to what he called the “security zones of the State of Israel”.

“This is the only way to end the war,” Mr Katz added, without clarifying how much territory Israel planned to seize. Israel’s security perimeter runs along the border with Israel in northern and eastern Gaza.

Palestinian groups still hold 59 Israelis taken hostage on 7 October 2023, of whom 24 are still believed to be alive, after the majority of the hostages were released in a ceasefire agreement with the Israeli government.

The announcement comes just days after Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders covering most of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The military ordered Palestinians to head to Muwasi, a sprawl of tent camps along the coast.

Last month, Israel’s military announced its 36th Division had been sent to the Southern Command to prepare for operations in Gaza. That division reportedly entered southern Gaza early this morning.

Israel on 18 March resumed intense bombing of Gaza and launched a new ground offensive as a nearly two-month-long ceasefire with Hamas collapsed. At least 21 people were killed overnight in Israel’s pre-dawn attacks on homes in Gaza’s Khan Yunis and Nuseirat refugee camp.

Israel’s 18-month war on Gaza has already turned enclaves, hospitals and schools into rubble.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offensive on Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since the ceasefire ended in March, according to the Hamas-run Strip’s health ministry. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 251 hostages.

The Hostage Families Forum, which represents the families of most hostages, said that it was “horrified” by the defence minister’s announcement about expanding military operations in Gaza.

The group said the Israeli government “has an obligation to free all 59 hostages from Hamas captivity” and to “pursue every possible channel to advance a deal for their release”. It stressed that every “passing day puts their loved ones’ lives at greater risk”.

“Their lives hang in the balance as more and more disturbing details continue to emerge about the horrific conditions they’re being held in – chained, abused, and in desperate need of medical attention,” said the forum, which called on the Donald Trump administration in US and other mediators to continue pressuring Hamas to release the hostages.

“Our highest priority must be an immediate deal to bring ALL hostages back home – the living for rehabilitation and those killed for proper burial – and end this war,” the group said.

The UK-based charity Plan International condemned Israel’s expansion of its offensive in Gaza, calling it “ruthless acts of aggression against a starving and traumatised population”.

“The people of Gaza have no shelter, no means of protecting themselves, and Israel’s illegal blockade has left medics without the supplies they need to treat the wounded. This isn’t war. This is an atrocity,” said Kathleen Spencer Chapman, the director of influencing and external affairs at Plan International.

“World leaders must put a stop to this horror. The ceasefire must be reinstated and aid allowed back into and throughout Gaza.”

Disabled man has iPhone stolen in cruel Facebook scam

A man with cerebral palsy who was struggling to afford his heating bill during the January cold snap has been scammed out of £300 after attempting to sell his old iPhone online.

Ben Simmonds, 62, from Suffolk, listed an old iPhone 12 Max he no longer used on Facebook Marketplace hoping to raise some extra cash.

Simmonds, who is retired, quickly found a buyer and dutifully shipped the phone via Royal Mail. After confirming delivery via the Royal Mail app, he contacted the buyer regarding payment.

The buyer provided screenshots of a bank transfer, seemingly confirming the money was on its way. However, these images now appear to be fake and the scam was all but confirmed when he discovered he had been blocked by the account and their messages had been erased.

He has since set up a GoFundMe page to help him recoup his losses – and has urged others in his position to “remain calm” and seek expert advice.

“It hit me hard at first but it’s happening to thousands and thousands of people every day,” Ben said.

“There’s so many dishonest people around and they’re getting cleverer and cleverer.

“This person definitely took advantage of my position.”

Ben has suffered with cerebral palsy since birth – and more recently, the condition has affected his mobility.

“It affects my legs quite badly and I have spasticity where my muscles contract and go into spasm,” he explained.

In January this year, Ben said he was struggling to pay his energy bill during the cold snap.

“I have storage heaters where I live and they’re really expensive,” he said.

“I sort of only heat one room – barely that sometimes – and when it was really cold in the first couple of weeks in January I didn’t put it on.”

To help secure some extra cash, Ben decided to sell his old iPhone 12 Max on Facebook Marketplace, pricing the gadget at around £300 including postage and packaging.

He uploaded the item to the site on January 4 and said he received messages from an interested buyer three days later via Facebook Messenger.

“They were quite impatient, if I didn’t get back to them straight away they would be on the case, that sort of thing,” Ben said.

“I did everything I could to help them, they could tell quality of the phone, they could see I look after my things – I take pride in my things.”

Ben said the buyer told him they wanted to purchase the phone as a gift for their child.

He agreed to send them the phone for £300 on January 16 via Royal Mail tracked special delivery, with an address the buyer supplied.

After checking his Royal Mail app the following day, Ben found the package had been signed for on January 17 along with a photo of several parcels on an inside doormat to show proof of delivery.

Ben asked the buyer when he would be receiving his payment for the phone and he was sent a handful of screenshots showing emails from TSB Bank which seemed to suggest money was on its way.

However the screenshots, seen by PA Real Life, appear to have been doctored – with Ben’s bank details written in a different font and colour to the body of the message and the year at the bottom of the email reads “2024” instead of 2025 in small print.

The message also suggested the payment was on hold by the bank until a tracking number for the package could be provided.

“The screenshots said it was pending and the money would come through,” Ben said.

“I started to get very worried about it… I spoke to a neighbour who said it didn’t look right.”

“I phoned the bank (TSB) and they automatically said it sounded like I had been scammed as this wasn’t their normal process.”

Ben tried to reach out to the buyer but found they had deleted their responses from their conversation on Facebook Messenger and blocked him on the platform.

“I wish I had taken screenshots of our messages before I realised – which I didn’t and not many people would realise – it was probably a false account,” he said.

Ben has since launched a GoFundMe page to recoup his losses, raising £25 so far.

“I didn’t want to ask anyone for help but it would help me get back on track,” he said.

For others in his position, Ben added: “I know it’s difficult as I’ve been through it myself but try to remain calm and get some expert advice.”

Those suspecting they have fallen victim to a scam can approach Action Fraud for support and advice.

When PA contacted Facebook owner Meta for comment, the company outlined several tips to ensure buyers and sellers are staying safe on Facebook Marketplace.

These include checking whether a Facebook profile appears new or incomplete, meeting in a public space to view a product before completing any transaction and not handing over any money until you see the item for sale.

Visit Ben’s GoFundMe to find out more.

Extra 400,000 people to be deemed unfit for work under Labour reforms

An extra 400,000 people could be signed off as unfit for work under Labour’s controversial welfare reforms, the government’s own figures show.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall declared ministers were being “ambitious for our people and our country” as she announced plans to slash £5bn from the benefits bill earlier this month.

Alongside the cuts, she pledged changes to the system designed to get the long-term sick back into work.

But the government’s own analysis of the impact of the changes show far more people will receive the top level of incapacity benefit by 2030 than previously thought.

This is because ministers scrapped Conservative plans that would have resulted in more of those with mobility and mental health problems looking for work.

Labour insists that their changes will ultimately get people back to work, once the impact of their £1bn employment support programme kicks in.

However, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has warned it has seen no evidence of how the reforms will boost employment.

The cuts to the welfare budget have prompted fury among many Labour MPs.

But Ms Kendall has insisted that they are necessary to fix a “broken” benefits system her party inherited from the last Tory government.

As part of her plans, she reduced the top rate of incapacity benefits for those deemed unfit for any work, saying the move was necessary to take away “perverse financial incentives that the Tories created, which actively encourage people into welfare dependency”.

Official estimates last autumn suggested their number would increase to 2.6 million by 2030 if nothing was done.

However, updated estimates in an impact assessment finally released last week show numbers will rise to 3 million by the end of the decade, despite the reforms which will halve the payment for new claimants.

Government sources told The Times, which first reported the story, that the main reason for the rise was that ministers had reversed planned changes to the work capability assessment, through which people qualify for incapacity benefits.

These would have required more people with mobility and mental health problems to take steps to prepare for work.

The OBR has previously estimated it would have meant around 450,000 fewer people in the top category of incapacity benefit by 2030, The Times reported.

Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said: “It takes a particular level of incompetence to bring forward a welfare reform plan which leaves more people on out of work benefits and fewer people in work, according to the official forecasts.

“Labour inherited reforms which would have seen hundreds of thousands fewer people on long-term benefits where there are no requirements to take steps towards work. They have scrapped those principled reforms and instead chosen to rush through cuts to disability benefits designed purely to save the chancellor from breaking her fiscal rules.”

Missing couple’s mystery disappearance ‘out of character’, police say

A Dorchester couple’s failure to return home after visiting family in Essex has sparked concern, with police describing their disappearance as “out of character.”

76-year-olds John and Joan were last seen in the Clacton area on March 27 and are believed to have left Essex the following day.

While Dorset Police believe the couple returned to the Dorset area, they have not been seen at their home, and their current location remains unknown. Adding to the concern, the couple were travelling in a red Ford Kuga, registration HF74 KRO, which has also not been located. Police are urging anyone with information about the couple’s whereabouts or who may have seen their vehicle to contact them immediately.

Inspector Charlotte Lee said: “We understand it is very out of character for John and Joan to go missing like this, so we are keen to find them and make sure they are all right.

“I would urge anyone with information regarding their whereabouts to please make contact with us immediately. We also want to encourage anyone who comes across the vehicle described above to please report it to police.

“Finally, I would like to make an appeal directly to John and Joan, if you see this to please make contact with us or your family and let us know where you are. We all just want to check that you are OK.”

John is described as about five feet ten inches tall with a slim build. His short grey hair, tinged with red, is thinning on top, and he sometimes wears glasses.

Joan stands around five feet two inches tall with a larger build. Her blonde hair, now turning grey, reaches the nape of her neck.

Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55250044523.

Heathrow bosses were warned of power failure risk days before shutdown

Heathrow bosses were warned of the risk of the failure of a power substation days before an electrical fire shut the airport for almost 24 hours, MPs have been told.

Nigel Wicking, chief executive of the Heathrow Airline Operators’ Committee (HAOC), said: “I’d actually warned Heathrow of concerns that we had with regard to the substations and my concern was resilience.”

A fire broke out in a transformer within an electrical substation in Hayes, north of Heathrow, late in the evening of Thursday 20 March. In the early hours of Friday morning, 21 March, Heathrow announced it would close until at least midnight – though later that evening some flights were allowed to depart.

More than 1,400 flights were diverted or cancelled by the shutdown, affecting a quarter of a million passengers.

Mr Wicking heads the body representing more than 90 airlines using the UK’s busiest airport. The Independent estimates the total cost to carriers at Heathrow as £100m in lost revenue and passenger care expenses.

The airlines’ representative told the Transport Select Committee that he first raised the issue on 15 March “following a number of, a couple of incidents of, unfortunately, theft, of wire and cable”.

He said the loss of power “on one of those occasions, took out the lights on the runway for a period of time”.

“That obviously made me concerned,” he said.

Mr Wicking spoke to the chief operating officer and chief customer officer two days before the fire closed Heathrow.

The airport’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, also took questions from MP 12 days after the shutdown. He insisted Heathrow had no choice but to shut down due to safety concerns.

He said: “When we cannot guarantee and have full visibility and confidence that we can operate the airport safely then we cannot operate there.”

“The only thing worse than that would have been to let passengers travel. That is not an option and we cannot compromise on that.”

Mr Woldbye said the “unprecedented” event triggered the need to “power down maybe 1,000 systems and switch back on 1,000 systems”. He said it involves “a very complicated process that you need to execute in a certain sequence” and that the systems were restored “as fast as we possibly could”.

The command and control system “worked exactly right,” he said – adding that to create a fully resilient electrical system would cost upwards of £1bn.

The Heathrow CEO confirmed a rumour in aviation circles that at one point during the shutdown, more than 1,000 people joined a call on Microsoft Teams. He said: “In one call we maxed out, more than 1,000 people. We have rectified that already. That will not happen again.”

He added that Heathrow’s communication with airlines had received “only very positive feedback”. He said: “Some of them have written to us saying that the communication given to then during the incident was first class.”

But Nigel Wicking, representing the airlines, said: “I think there’s something to be investigated there as to whether Heathrow should be more consumer and customer aware. There’s often conversations that ‘there’s Heathrow customers and there’s the airline customers’.

“But in the end they’re all the travelling public and we need to make sure that all the appropriate parties are communicating with that community and they’re well informed as to where things are going to be.”

As airlines sought to get their schedules back on track, the chaos dragged on for days.

Mr Wicking rejected the notion that airlines should finance increased resilience, saying: “We already pay enough for Heathrow. I don’t think we should be paying more for further resilience. The resilience should have been there in the first place.”

The airlines’ representative also said that airlines had pressed the airport to be allowed to fly the 100-plus diverted aircraft to Heathrow as soon as possible, to get passengers, planes, pilots and cabin crew in the right place.

He said that Terminal 5 was “fine to operate” from 10am onwards – about 12 hours before it eventually opened for departures – and that UK Border Force was fully staffed for processing inbound passengers.

“I don’t think there was any reason for T5 not to be open. T5 felt they were absolutely ready.”

Mr Woldbye rejected the possibility, saying: “We did that as fast as we could with regard to the safety of passengers.”

Heathrow, and the many businesses its activities support, particularly in west London, also lost millions of pounds as a result of the shutdown.

The wider harm to the UK economy – in terms of inbound tourism and reputational damage – is incalculable. The emotional impact for the 250,000-plus passengers whose flights were cancelled or diverted was also immense, with some people missing important family events including weddings and funerals.

Celebration destination: Enjoy life’s biggest moments in the Caribbean

With its turquoise-coloured waters, reliably blue skies, and unparalleled natural beauty, the Caribbean is one of the most desirable destinations for a special getaway. From Antigua to Saint Vincent, St Lucia and Barbados, each island offers something a little different – whether you’re looking for a romantic honeymoon retreat, the perfect place to celebrate a milestone birthday, or a fun spot to enjoy a week (or two) of active pursuits with family and friends.

Sandals’ all-inclusive, adult-only resorts are the perfect way to enjoy the islands in luxurious surroundings. Dotted across the Caribbean, each resort has its own unique identity while staying true to the five-star Sandals ethos. But which one do you choose for your own personal celebration?

Here we look at a range of celebrations worthy of an unforgettable holiday and the perfect Sandals resorts to enjoy them in.

If you like your holidays to be as adventurous as they are relaxing, you’re sure to love the many activities offered at Sandals Grande Antigua and Sandals Saint Vincent. Explore the ocean bed with Sandals’s very own comprehensive PADI® Certified scuba diving programmes, and see beautiful reefs and shipwrecks up close alongside the professional supervision of PADI® certified staff and Newton dive boats. There’s also a wealth of water sports available including kayaking and paddleboarding or, if dry land is more your thing, why not spend your days playing beach volleyball, croquet, and tennis? All activities are included at either resort making your trip hassle free and flexible.

If you’re looking for somewhere to make a real occasion of a celebration or simply hide away on a romantic getaway, the Royal Barbados resort is one of Sandals’s most elegant options. The resort offers an extra level of extravagance that makes every day an unforgettable experience – from swim-up suites, Rolls Royce transfers from the airport when you stay in select suites, to a rooftop pool and restaurant, and catamaran cruises. There’s even a bowling alley if you fancy some good old-fashioned fun, or an alternative option for a date night.

On the beautiful island of Curaçao, lies the Sandals Royal Curaçao resort nestled within the heart of Leeward Antilles. The resort has plenty of opportunity for more intimate stays in its seaside butler bungalows complete with private pools and soaking tubs, while private cabanas and local tours leave you plenty of options for making an anniversary or birthday feel extra special. The parties around the pool or on the beach also make this a fun destination for celebrating a loved one.

Jamaica plays host to a number of Sandals resorts that make the perfect destination for honeymoons and group trips alike. The Sandals Royal Caribbean, for instance, offers over-the-water private villas complete with glass floors, hammocks and butler service, on the resort’s own private island. Ocean-view and swim-up rooms also offer a first-class experience for groups and friends spending time together. Alternatively, it’s hard to imagine a more romantic stay than at Sandals South Coast, where you can stay in spectacular, luxurious overwater villas arranged in the shape of a heart, offering an unmatched connection to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea and rich marine life below.

Meanwhile, the Sandals Ochi resort in Jamaica offers the best of both worlds for honeymooners and party goers (or those wanting to enjoy both) with private butler villas, white sand beach, and 11 unique bars. Its vibrant atmosphere is ideal for those wanting to relax and party during their stay.

While every Sandals resort offers a luxurious experience, if you’re really looking to splurge and treat yourself, the re-imagined Sandals Royal Bahamian should be on your wishlist. Located in Nassau in the Bahamas, it has everything you could dream of from a holiday destination. Swim-up suites with butler service will help you leave the stresses and strains of everyday life behind, while pristine-white beaches, an award-winning Red Lane spa and 10 specialty restaurants will make your stay as enjoyable as it is relaxing. A short trip by boat will also take you to the Sandals private island with its own bar, restaurant and pool. Luxury adventure tours around the island will also make exploring the rest of the island easy and convenient.

St Lucia is one of the most beautiful and picturesque islands of the Caribbean, and our top destination for visiting with parents. Resorts such as the Grande St Lucian sit on their own peninsula with 360 degrees of volcanic mountains and crystal-clear ocean views to enjoy. As such, it’s the perfect place for making mum or dad feel truly appreciated. In addition to five grande pools, there’s also a Cap Estate Golf & Country Club for serious parental bonding time, not to mention a range of outdoor activities including reading road trips where guests meet children from the island, Catamaran sunset cruises, and carnival experiences.

Discover Sandals’s full range of Caribbean resorts here

What is the Chagos Islands deal with the UK that Trump has approved?

According to No 10, Donald Trump has “signed off” on the highly controversial Chagos Islands deal, drawing to a close the tortuous process of securing the future of the UK-US military base that has been operating on Diego Garcia since 1965.

It means formal sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) will be ceded to Mauritius, and comes as something of a shock to opponents who fully expected Mr Trump to reject the change. The long saga may be coming to a close…

Some of the basics are still unknown, especially as regards money, but the position will be that the BIOT – comprising the Chagos Islands and the military base – will be transferred to Mauritian sovereignty. In return, the UK has been promised a 99-year lease on the islands, with military use by the US part of the deal, in return for an annual fee. The fee has not yet been disclosed, but is thought to be some £90m per annum, inflation-linked.

The small matter of international law. Successive appeals by Mauritius to the UN and the International Court of Justice have left the status of the BIOT in doubt, generally favouring the Mauritian position.

The islands are plainly a colonial possession, acquired from France in 1814 after the Napoleonic Wars. As such they are subject to UN resolutions and decolonisation. The islands were carved out of what was then the crown colony of Mauritius as part of its 1968 granting of independence, but such coercion also violated international law. The UK could carry on ignoring the situation, but this would leave the legal status of the joint base in doubt and thus at risk. In a worst-case scenario, Mauritius could transfer sovereignty of “their” islands to, say, China or India. Generally, civilised nations are expected to abide by international law.

They’ve been shabbily treated for decades, having been forcibly evicted to make way for the base in the 1960s. The diaspora principally lives in Mauritius, the Seychelles and near Gatwick Airport, and have had no vote on the deal. Foreign secretary David Lammy insists they have been consulted throughout.

Not quite. Trump has approved it but the formality of Mauritius and the UK signing the agreement has yet to take place, after which the treaty will need to be approved by parliament and all the costs and clauses will be made public. Given the government’s majority and the backing of the White House, the deal is bound to be ratified.

The Conservatives and Reform UK describe it as such, and object to public money needed for vital services being transferred to Mauritius – but that seems to be the price for settling this long-running dispute. What financial contribution, if any, the US will make is not known. In the current wider context of defence and economic tensions between the UK and the US, the Chagos leasing costs might be considered a useful sweetener in the national interest.

No. Those few empire loyalists who feel passionately about the issue are a minority and would never vote Labour anyway, some because they haven’t forgiven Clement Attlee for giving up India. The often exaggerated cost of the lease (adding inflation over a century to invent a bogus cost in today’s money) is no more than a right-wing debating point. The Conservatives are compromised on this argument because they were in talks to “surrender” the BIOT for years, and no one thinks the deal can be reversed unless the Americans demand it.

It doesn’t feel like it, and the government says not. Nonetheless, there are parallels in their disputed colonial status. Before the 1982 Falklands War, a transfer and leaseback arrangement was freely raised by Britain as a way of ending the arguments in the South Atlantic.

The big shift in both these cases has been Brexit, with one EU member, Spain, having a vital interest in steering EU diplomacy towards regaining Gibraltar and a friendlier stance towards the Argentinian claim on the Falklands. The UK can no longer rely on the EU to back it up at the UN and elsewhere; indeed, the Brexit treaty gives Spain a special role with regard to Gibraltar, and the territory’s land and air border arrangements still haven’t been finally sorted out.

Like it or not, the sun has not fully set on the British empire.

There is now only a slim chance that a global recession can be averted

Most presidents of the United States seek to build. Donald Trump seeks only to do the opposite – ironically, given his history as a prominent property developer. In the circumstances, announcing a series of devastating differential “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’s major trading partners in the charming environs of the White House Rose Garden seemed rather incongruous. Then again, as the true enormity of what is at hand became clear, the wind got up and there was a sense of a storm coming. That was far more fitting.

His first days in office were marked by wild executive orders inflicted on the federal government and on the constitution of the United States. His whirlwind continues – although the defeat of a Trumpian judge in an election in Wisconsin is perhaps a small sign that the US is growing weary of the efforts of the president and his noisy Svengali, Elon Musk.

In the name of what seems a futile search for peace in Ukraine, the president has also applied his nihilism to the US’s traditional alliances, not least Nato, where he has chosen to abuse friends and allies while simultaneously flattering and appeasing Vladimir Putin. To astonishment, the US has told former partners, from Canada to Ukraine to Japan, that the US no longer has a strategic interest in their survival as independent sovereign states, and in any case no longer shares their values. Matters are now purely transactional.

The international rules-based order that took eight decades to construct and won the Cold War has been comprehensively abandoned within 80 days of Mr Trump’s inauguration, exceeding even the worst of fears. It is scarcely believable, but tragically true that the president seeks to annex Greenland and absorb Canada.

The result has been to plunge the US and the world into a state of permanent crisis. Having tested the fabric of American political life and the international order, the president is now rapidly reaching the final stages in dismantling the post-war economic order, too. As with the military and diplomatic alliances that protected the US and its partners for so long, so too with the institutions and policies that helped propel the world to unprecedented progress and prosperity.

Decades of painstaking work to grow international trade and establish a rules-based system eventually overseen by the World Trade Organisation are being undone by the stroke of a presidential Sharpie. It is a revolution, and it has already wrought chaos in financial markets and the corporate world.

In the space of less than one hour, interspersed with the usual rambling digressions, Mr Trump visited enormous economic hardship on what he would call “friend and foe” alike. China, predictably, came in for the most vindictive treatment – a blanket tariff of 34 per cent, but the EU, scrambling to defend itself from Russia, has been whacked with a 20 per cent tax. The British, let off with a 10 per cent charge, need not feel too smug – the global trade slowdown this will trigger will hit the UK’s feeble growth prospects hard.

With his much-trumpeted “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, Mr Trump seeks nothing less than the reversal of globalisation and the disruption of highly efficient integrated supply chains and markets in the name of a senseless zero-sum economic nationalism.

All the lessons of history and practical economics are abandoned in the cause of crude protectionism – specifically mercantilism, in which politicians such as Mr Trump, rather than markets, determine what is made where and by whom.

Mr Trump, a child of his times whose formative years were marked by the rise of German and Japanese industrial power, seeks to return the US to its status as a great manufacturing nation, even though other nations build cars and make steel better and more cheaply. It is a fundamentally atavistic vision of the US’s economic future, and it will serve Americans badly.

So far from being the disaster zone he so often describes, the US as a whole has never had it so good. Its economy has lately been growing strongly, and in most places living standards are high and rising. The problem has been the lack of care and attention given to the casualties of globalisation. Mr Trump blames foreigners – who else? – for the dislocations caused, and sincerely believes, absurdly, that the US can be self-sufficient in almost everything.

Early on in his first term, he wrote “TRADE IS BAD” on the top of a draft speech for an international economic summit. That simple and simplistic belief is the key to what is befalling the global economy now.

America First is becoming America Only, which might be fine for Americans if it was true. But, unlike the world of real estate deals, trade need not be a zero-sum game. Just as the gradual easing of trade restrictions drove productivity and economic growth higher, so it is also the grim historical experience that no one wins trade wars, and they can lead to real wars.

Tariffs will make Americans poorer, make businesses less competitive, and the retaliation by the EU, China and others will cut off valuable export markets, particularly for farmers and the oil industry. The import taxes cannot simultaneously yield the vast revenues predicted by Mr Trump – paid if goods are still imported in the same volumes – and restore US jobs, if there is no change in consumer behaviour and no switching of purchases to buy American, which means lower imports and tariff revenues.

As things stand, it seems too late to try to reason with Mr Trump. The only hope is that out of chaos will emerge a new order and, through negotiations, the US and its major trading partners can end up with tariffs that are actually lower than before. Restraint is required if tit-for-tat tariffs are not to escalate to absurd and catastrophically damaging levels.

There’s a slim chance that a global trade recession can be avoided, and even that a new settlement can benefit all sides. At the conclusion of his remarks the president hinted that this initiative could be the beginning of a more benign process of tariff reduction. Certainly, something akin to the peace process that follows a real war will be needed to restore order.