Donald Trump tariffs would be ‘devastating blow’ to UK steel industry

The UK Government is waiting to see details of Mr Trump’s policy, but the steel industry body called for decisive action from ministers while unions warned further jobs could be put at risk in a sector which has already suffered badly in recent years.

The UK exported 166,433 tonnes of steel to the US in 2023, the last full year for which figures are available.

British Steel, in Scunthorpe, and Sheffield Forgemasters are some of the major steel and component manufacturers in the country.

Figures from trade body UK Steel showed that in 2024 some 162,716 tonnes were sent to the US, but that does not yet include data from December.

The US is the industry’s second-largest export market after the EU, although the Government said it only accounted for 5 per cent of UK steel exports in 2023.

UK Steel director general Gareth Stace said if Mr Trump went ahead with the tariffs, it “would be a devastating blow to our industry” and “damage over £400 million worth of the steel sector’s contribution to the UK’s balance of trade”.

He added: “It is deeply disappointing if President Trump sees the need to target UK steel, given our relatively small production volumes compared to major steel nations.

“The UK produces world-leading steel, supplying the US with high-quality products for defence, aerospace, stainless, and other critical sectors, materials that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere.”

There are fears within the industry that US tariffs could also see exports from other countries – such as China – diverted to the UK, heaping further pressure on the domestic industry.

Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary at trade union Community, said: “At a time of uncertainty for the sector, a punitive new tariff on UK steel exports would be hugely damaging and threaten jobs.

“For the US it would also be self-defeating, as the UK is a leading supplier of specialist steel products required by their defence and aerospace sectors.”

Downing Street said the UK and US “work closely together on a range of economic issues, supporting jobs” on both sides of the Atlantic.

“I haven’t seen any detailed proposals following the reporting, but we will obviously engage as appropriate,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.