Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Trade: US Tariffs

Thursday 1 May 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Blake Stephenson questioned the Secretary of State about concerns over the US prioritizing Asia over the UK in negotiations.
  • The Secretary of State assured Stephenson that the US does not view the UK as a second-order priority and emphasized the complexity of US negotiations with other countries.
  • Liam Byrne inquired about the Government's response to American tariffs, noting the Select Committee's consensus against retaliatory tariffs and support for the Government's approach.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Blake Stephenson Con Mid Bedfordshire
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The US is the UK’s top export country and a vital partner for many UK businesses. There are concerns about the US prioritizing Asia over the UK, and potential alignment with EU trade policies.

Question

As the UK's top export country, the US is a vital partner to many UK businesses, but with Trump now reported to have made the UK a second-order priority to Asia and with the UK possibly on the verge of giving up its Brexit freedoms in favour of EU alignment, how confident is the Secretary of State of achieving a comprehensive free trade deal with the US, in both goods and services?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

First, let me assuage the hon. Gentleman’s concerns: that is a misreading of how the US is approaching these negotiations. The US has perhaps more complex issues with some countries that will take more bandwidth on its side. As I have always said, the existing relationship between the UK and the US is incredibly strong, reciprocal and mutually beneficial. I see far fewer issues to negotiate to get to that outcome.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary did not provide a specific confidence level or timeline for achieving a comprehensive free trade deal.

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Q2 Liam Byrne Lab Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North
Business & Trade
Context

The Select Committee has written to the Secretary of State regarding US tariffs, highlighting concerns in the automotive industry. The Government's approach is not to pursue retaliatory tariffs.

Question

Today the Select Committee writes to the Secretary of State to supply our response to his consultation on how we should respond to American tariffs. We have heard widespread consensus that there should not be retaliatory tariffs and that the approach the Government are pursuing is right, but we have also heard real concerns especially in the automotive industry among those big exporters to America and, crucially, their supply chains. Can the Secretary of State reassure the House that he is readying support packages across Government to ensure that our automotive sector does not run into serious trouble if we cannot get a deal with America soon?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Jonathan Reynolds)

As my right hon. Friend knows, I always welcome communications from the Select Committee and the constructive and helpful role it plays in all these important matters. He is right to say that the business community in the UK strongly backs the Government’s calm and level-headed approach to these difficult issues. The automotive sector is one of our major priorities. It is the sector that has the most exports because of the brilliant success we have with automotive exports to the US. It remains an absolute priority for us in any negotiation to secure what we need, which is the continuation of access to US markets in a way that is complementary to the US and that meets the ambitions of US consumers. Frankly, I do not see any argument for making that relationship more difficult through the long-term imposition of tariffs. We are closely engaged in a number of important meetings this week with senior automotive leaders, and we will continue to prepare that, working to keep the Select Committee involved.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary provided general reassurance but did not specify concrete support packages or measures being prepared for the automotive sector.

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