‘Elbows Up, Britain’: Canada’s Boycott of American Goods Spreads to the UK

How should Britain respond if President Trump imposes high tariffs on UK products this week? Pressure is growing on the Prime Minister to hit back with retaliatory tariffs of our own. But the PM isn’t the only one who controls the fightback.

What can be done, if our PM is reluctant to copy Canada and hit back as hard as we get? We may see the British public responding to Trump’s far-right administration with more force.  

There is an emerging movement to boycott American products in the UK, inspired by Canada’s ‘Elbows Up’ campaign – a hockey term for the action taken by players getting ready for the puck drop – which has led to a collapse of 70% in Canadians travelling to the US, while many Canadian stores have removed American alcohol from shelves.

Brits are now sharing lists of major US consumer brands that might be avoided to hit the US where it hurts: in the wallet. 

Major US consumer brands in the UK include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Burger King, clothing companies like Nike, Converse and Levi’s; and tech giants like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Netflix – some of which are harder to avoid than others. 

Some well-known US brands operating here actively funded Trump’s campaign or his Presidential Inaugural Committee, including PayPal, Uber, ExxonMobil, Amazon and Meta.

For this reason and others, some Byline Times readers already seem to be boycotting American goods and seeking alternatives from the UK, EU, Canada, and other non-US sources.

Canadian artist Margaret J Rolfe urged Brits to get involved, writing on Threads that the anti-Trump movement in Canada was “grassroots”: “You don’t need to wait for the Government to start a boycott. Elbows up, my UK friends!” 

Another Canadian, Sandra Norman, added in a post that after Trump’s first round of tariffs on Canada, “we developed apps to help us figure out where a product came from.” One such app is called ‘Is This Canadian’ and it gives alternative non-US products consumers can buy. “[It was] very effective. Good luck from Canada.” 

Pam Mercier from Norfolk replied: “Lots of British people already are boycotting US made goods, but as is usual they are doing it quietly.” Another, Jayne Dyson, added: “We really need to stand up for Britain. It’s time we hit America hard.” 

And Wales-based clothes designer Virginia Stockley said: “Absolutely. Instead of ‘don’t buy from x’ we should be saying ‘buy British’ – something positive to get behind.” 

Some pointed out challenges in boycotting certain US products, especially tech (Apple/Microsoft). But alternative European tech services do exist, including search engines Mojeek and Ecosia to help users ditch Google. 

Another Canadian added examples of renegade pro-Canadian consumer action: “Be sneaky like us Canadians. When you look at a product and it’s American, put it back upside down. Then flip more upside down so other shoppers know it’s American & been put back on the shelves. We say sorry a lot but if you screw with us you’ll be sorry!” 

The conversation is also drawing attention to brands previously thought of as British. For example, high street pharmacy Boots is owned by US-firm Walgreens, while food firm Heinz is now owned by US giant Kraft Foods. Cadbury has been owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft) since 2010. 

Others opposed boycotts of firms operating as franchises in the UK (like McDonald’s), where the majority of revenues remain local or use local ingredients. Nonetheless, McDonald’s franchises here send hundreds of millions of pounds to the US HQ each year. 

A “Buy British” campaign could also extend to “Buy European”, or just “Avoid US products”, or to support Commonwealth countries. The movement in Canada has led to plenty of buying habits change, in what could be a permanent shift. 

The UK is arguably in a more vulnerable position now than pre-Brexit, given our separation from the EU, which has already increased the costs of products imported from our European neighbours. 

Quietly though, Brits may be moving away from their dependance on individual US products – making a consistent effort rather than striving for a “perfect boycott”. 

UPDATE

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Josiah Mortimer

It is fair to say that most UK-US trade involves industrial goods rather than consumer products, potentially limiting the impact of consumer boycotts. But a well-publicised boycott campaign can have international ramifications, hitting big US brands in the pocket where it hurts. 

Amazon, of course, would be a tricky one to replace. But readers suggest browsing there – and then purchasing the desired item directly from sellers’ websites. 

But despite some inevitable comments suggesting the UK doesn’t produce enough domestic goods to make a “Buy British” campaign possible, it is simply not true. Save for the tech giants – which are so monopolistic as to be very hard to ditch entirely – there are UK (and certainly European) alternatives to most major US consumer brands. You just need to look around. 

And if you’re in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and don’t like the phrase “Buy British”, that’s fine too. Go Europe-wide if it suits you. 

On a UK-wide level though, it’s clearly an opportunity to strengthen our trading relationship with the EU, and with Commonwealth nations as an alternative to US dependence. Our PM is unlikely to openly back a US boycott movement – unlike his Liberal Canadian counterparts who have surged in popularity as a result. 

So consumers may not want to wait for Keir Starmer on that front. 

There are many wins to be had. Whatever the motivations behind a US boycott, sourcing more products closer to home will have environmental benefits through reduced carbon footprints. 

Canadian supermarkets now clearly label US products with tariff symbols. UK stores should do the same.

Is switching from bourbon to Scotch whiskey a patriotic act? I don’t know. But millions of tiny changes, together, can have a big impact. 

UPDATE: PM Starmer’s spokesman, when asked by Byline Times what he would say to British consumers considering a boycott of US goods, said: “The UK government’s approach is going to be to take a cool headed approach to this and not rush into a knee jerk response.

“We’re focused on achieving a deal that’s in the UK’s national interest. That’s what we will continue to do. But we are obviously keeping all options on the table in relation to our response.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s spokesman said simply: “It’s up to them.”

Additional reporting by Adam Bienkov.

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Josiah Mortimer also writes the On the Ground column, exclusive to the print edition of Byline Times.

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