While Trump brings in new 10% tariffs to protect American businesses from foreign competition, Britain faces a different kind of economic sabotage. The number of repeat offenders in our justice system has surged 113.5% since 2023, jumping from 483 criminals to 1,031 by 2076.

Trump's tariffs target toys and imports. But Britain's businesses are losing billions to a homegrown problem that politicians barely acknowledge: the same criminals committing crimes over and over again. Every shoplifter who walks free becomes a repeat customer. Every fraudster who gets a slap on the wrist returns to fleece more victims.

The timing couldn't be worse. As global supply chains fracture under trade wars, British retailers and manufacturers need stability. Instead, they're dealing with more than double the number of serial offenders compared to just three years ago. (Source: Ministry of Justice, Proven Reoffending -- proven-reoffending_jan24_mar24_annual -- A4a_(annual_average))

This isn't about individual cases. It's about systematic failure. When the cohort of repeat offenders more than doubles in such a short timeframe, it signals that rehabilitation programmes have collapsed, deterrents have failed, or both. Each reoffender represents multiple future victims, multiple insurance claims, multiple police investigations that cost taxpayers money.

Consider the economic impact. While businesses worry about Trump's tariffs hitting profits, they're already bleeding money to domestic crime. Retail theft alone costs British businesses over £1 billion annually. Now imagine that cost doubling as the same thieves return again and again.

The contrast is striking. America builds trade barriers to keep foreign goods out. Britain can't even keep known criminals from repeating their crimes. One problem requires international diplomacy and complex trade negotiations. The other requires basic competence in criminal justice.

The 113.5% surge represents more than statistical noise. It's a breakdown in the fundamental promise that crime has consequences. When repeat offending more than doubles, it means the justice system has become a revolving door. Victims suffer. Communities lose trust. Businesses relocate to safer areas.

Trade wars grab headlines because they're dramatic and international. But the real threat to Britain's economic security might be walking out of magistrates' courts right now, planning their next offence.