Ministerial statement on Thursday, 3 April 2025, in the House of Commons, led by Jonathan Reynolds.

UK-US Trade and Tariffs

Statement on US tariffs.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 765 cc457-482
Session: 2024-26
Department: Department for Business and Trade
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Related items: US trade tariffs
Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Research briefings; UK-US Trade
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Written statements
House of Commons
Proceeding contributions: Stella Creasy | 765 cc448-465 (Link to this contribution)
If those on the Opposition Front Bench are still trying to propagate the arguments of 2016, I sug...; Anneliese Dodds | 765 c461 (Link to this contribution)
Workers at BMW at Cowley are deeply concerned by the recent news. BMW is right that a trade war w...; Deirdre Costigan | 765 c471 (Link to this contribution)
Does the Secretary of State agree that now is time for unity across the Chamber in the national i...; Bobby Dean | 765 c482 (Link to this contribution)
In answers to questions so far, the Secretary of State seems to have dismissed the threat of the ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 cc457-8 (Link to this contribution)
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the United Kingdom’s e...; Nusrat Ghani | 765 cc458-9 (Link to this contribution)
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
11.58 am; Andrew Griffith | 765 cc459-460 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement.
Businesses, workers and ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 cc460-1 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the shadow Secretary of State for his response and his tone in responding. I recognise hi...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 cc462-489 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend is right that some of our iconic automotive manufacturing brands, such as BM...; Nusrat Ghani | 765 c489 (Link to this contribution)
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.; Daisy Cooper | 765 cc444-463 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement.
Donald Trump has launche...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c463 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her questions and her submission. I am pleased to hear that sh...; Callum Anderson | 765 c464 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement. Yesterday’s dramatic shift in US trade policy mar...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c464 (Link to this contribution)
I warmly welcome my hon. Friend’s question. He is right that this is a substantial change in US p...; Steve Barclay | 765 c464 (Link to this contribution)
What was missing from the Secretary of State’s statement, and from his reply to both Opposition F...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 cc447-8 (Link to this contribution)
As a former Treasury Minister, the right hon. Gentleman will know the kind of work that goes on t...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c465 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her question. Let me be clear again: no one is celebrating th...; Alison Griffiths | 765 c465 (Link to this contribution)
The Business Secretary delayed and dithered for five months before meeting his US counterparts, a...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c449 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady is incorrect, and I must ask her to take a bit more of a serious tone in the questi...; Bill Esterson | 765 c449 (Link to this contribution)
The US tariffs have serious implications for UK industry. They are a reminder of the importance o...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c466 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question, and for the work that he did, alongside me, in ...; Alistair Carmichael | 765 c450 (Link to this contribution)
Can the Secretary of State offer us any guarantee that the Government will not enter into a trade...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c450 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Member knows that I will not go into the detail of any negotiation, but he knows o...; Jenny Riddell-Carpenter | 765 c450 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. The port of Felixstowe is the UK’s busiest containe...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c450 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right to talk about the historic scale and significance of the announcement las...; Ben Obese-Jecty | 765 c451 (Link to this contribution)
For all the carefully choreographed bonhomie in the Oval Office last November, the Prime Minister...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c467 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member will have heard me this morning on the media and here in Parliament being clear a...; Nusrat Ghani | 765 c467 (Link to this contribution)
Chi Onwurah will be followed by Steve Darling.; Chi Onwurah | 765 c452 (Link to this contribution)
The US is our closest ally and the world’s largest economy, as well as being the UK’s greatest so...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c452 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend reminds me that I did not get a chance to respond to the shadow Secretary of State...; Steve Darling | 765 c468 (Link to this contribution)
We must stand up to the bully that is Trump and support British business. This morning, I reached...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c468 (Link to this contribution)
Our job is to defend the UK national interest, and the company in Torbay that the hon. Member des...; Marie Tidball | 765 c453 (Link to this contribution)
I am pleased to hear the Secretary of State’s commitment to steel. Stocksbridge Speciality Steels...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c453 (Link to this contribution)
I greatly appreciate my hon. Friend’s advocacy for steel. She puts the case extremely well, which...; Nusrat Ghani | 765 c453 (Link to this contribution)
From another steel constituency, I call Martin Vickers.; Martin Vickers | 765 c469 (Link to this contribution)
Dealing with the erratic Trump Administration must be something of a nightmare for negotiations. ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 cc469-454 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments. He knows that I always have time for him to...; Emily Thornberry | 765 c454 (Link to this contribution)
Many of us may remember a time when Boris Johnson and many of those on the Conservative Benches c...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c454 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I have been in touch with a lot of people who have been this cou...; Desmond Swayne | 765 c454 (Link to this contribution)
Tariffs are always and everywhere a diminution of the choice available to consumers. So it is not...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c470 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for how he has put that. I think he is right on where t...; Andrew Cooper | 765 c470 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State and his colleagues for all he has done so far in negotiating an ec...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c455 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right to highlight that. I am tremendously proud of our automotive sector. Inde...; Stephen Flynn | 765 c455 (Link to this contribution)
Despite there being a trade deficit and despite the best efforts of this Government, including th...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 cc455-471 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman knows the value that we place as a Department on the incredible product ...; Calvin Bailey | 765 c471 (Link to this contribution)
War does not benefit anyone. A trade war between the UK and its closest ally will not benefit our...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c456 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right in his assessment of the burdens and benefits of solving the c...; Christopher Chope | 765 c456 (Link to this contribution)
I very much support the Secretary of State’s concerns about the automotive industry in this count...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c472 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for his words on the automotive sector. On the ZEV mandate that he refere...; Kirsteen Sullivan | 765 c472 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and for his efforts and those of his team thus far...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c472 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for her support. We are taking steps to ensure that all options are on the...; Munira Wilson | 765 c472 (Link to this contribution)
The Business Secretary said in his statement,
“True strength comes in making the right choi...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c472 (Link to this contribution)
I do believe that strength comes in making the right choices at the right time in our national in...; Barry Gardiner | 765 c473 (Link to this contribution)
There is a threat, but there is also an opportunity. What measures is my right hon. Friend taking...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 cc460-2 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising one of the most important issues we face: the impact ...; Ben Spencer | 765 c462 (Link to this contribution)
Tariffs are a tax on import paid by domestic businesses. As the Business Secretary reflects over ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c462 (Link to this contribution)
We always reflect on the decisions we have made as the UK Government. I say to the hon. Member ag...; Alex Sobel | 765 c463 (Link to this contribution)
I hope the Secretary of State agrees that protectionism is not the way to protect consumers and b...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c474 (Link to this contribution)
We have talked about not reliving the arguments of Brexit; my hon. Friend has brought up the corn...; Liz Saville Roberts | 765 c474 (Link to this contribution)
Diolch yn fawr, Madam Dirprwy Lefarydd. Some commentators are fawning over a 10% tariff simply be...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c465 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for that question. Again, the right hon. Lady can see that no one in this Governmen...; Luke Murphy | 765 c465 (Link to this contribution)
In January 2017, the then Conservative Foreign Secretary claimed that the UK would be “first in l...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c475 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s support. There was no real progress on a federal level with th...; John Lamont | 765 c466 (Link to this contribution)
Farming, textiles and whisky are all important parts of the economy in the Scottish Borders and a...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c466 (Link to this contribution)
I agree: this is one of the principal issues that we have to address. Whether it is on farming, t...; Rachel Taylor | 765 c466 (Link to this contribution)
Many of my constituents work at Jaguar Land Rover or in the motor manufacturing supply chain, and...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c466 (Link to this contribution)
JLR is an example of an incredible UK-based business in terms of its success in the US, China and...; Jeremy Corbyn | 765 c476 (Link to this contribution)
The previous Government undertook secretive trade negotiations with the USA that included health....; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c476 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman knows that I do not comment on the detail of talks, but I can tell him t...; Chris Curtis | 765 c468 (Link to this contribution)
The automotive industry is incredibly important for workers in Milton Keynes, with many headquart...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c468 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for his support. He has some tremendous businesses based in his area, and ...; Sorcha Eastwood | 765 c468 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for his responses so far on Northern Ireland. I trust that he will...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c468 (Link to this contribution)
As I said, I updated the First Minister and Deputy First Minister yesterday. It is a particular s...; Sally Jameson | 765 c477 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister has rightly said that this Labour Government will always work in the national ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c477 (Link to this contribution)
The creative industries are not just a wonderful cultural asset to the UK but a tremendous econom...; Neil Shastri-Hurst | 765 c477 (Link to this contribution)
It is estimated that 25,000 jobs directly linked to the automotive sector are at risk due to redu...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c470 (Link to this contribution)
I have seen the Institute for Public Policy Research report that contains that figure. Because th...; Liam Conlon | 765 c470 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State and his colleagues for the practical and pragmatic approach they h...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c470 (Link to this contribution)
It absolutely is, and there is no tension between those two things, as I have said. It is a false...; Lisa Smart | 765 c478 (Link to this contribution)
The US is clearly seeking concessions from the UK, and it has been widely speculated that the UK ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c471 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady has heard me say repeatedly that I will not go into specific negotiations, but ensu...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c472 (Link to this contribution)
Absolutely, country first. I would hope that all Members of the House could get behind the approa...; Andrew Snowden | 765 c472 (Link to this contribution)
I appreciate the tone of concern with which the Secretary of State has come here today. I am part...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c479 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I have constituency interests that are similar to hi...; Peter Swallow | 765 c479 (Link to this contribution)
Bracknell is home to the UK and European headquarters of many US companies, as well as to many UK...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c473 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right; Bracknell has some tremendous businesses, such as Honeywell, Dell and 3M...; Ellie Chowns | 765 c473 (Link to this contribution)
It is clear that the UK needs to show some backbone in standing up to the US President’s bullyboy...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c473 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady will have heard the answers I have given to some of the questions she raises, and t...; Melanie Ward | 765 c473 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State and his team for the enormous amount of hard work they have put in...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c480 (Link to this contribution)
I am tremendously grateful for my hon. Friend’s support and for her question—Adam Smith is probab...; Blake Stephenson | 765 c480 (Link to this contribution)
Trump’s tariffs will make everyone poorer and are extremely disappointing, so is it noteworthy th...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c480 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question, and he is right to note some conspicuous absences f...; Johanna Baxter | 765 c480 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and for all the work that he has done so far in ne...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c481 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is a formidable negotiator, as I have seen at first hand—we might see if she is av...; Jim Shannon | 765 c481 (Link to this contribution)
I watched the Secretary of State on television this morning, and I thank him for his calm, collec...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c481 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and for his kind words. It has been quite a week so f...; Ben Coleman | 765 c481 (Link to this contribution)
May I echo the thanks to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister for the calm and effective...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c482 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right that our concerns have to be not just about what this means for our own r...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c482 (Link to this contribution)
I want to be clear with colleagues, not to invent problems that do not exist. I am aware of comme...; Sarah Coombes | 765 c482 (Link to this contribution)
West Bromwich is a metal industry heartland. We are home to the Confederation of British Metalfor...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c477 (Link to this contribution)
That is the right approach to take. I welcome my hon. Friend’s support and that of the businesses...; Manuela Perteghella | 765 c483 (Link to this contribution)
The tariffs announced by Trump last night will be concerning for many businesses in the UK, not l...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c483 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady will have heard me say very clearly that we are committed to the sanitary and phyto...; Chris Vince | 765 c483 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for coming to the House and for his calm head in a difficult situa...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c483 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his support and for mentioning some of the excellent local bu...; Seamus Logan | 765 c478 (Link to this contribution)
The Secretary of State cannot have failed to notice the number of Members from all parties who ha...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c484 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman has skilfully raised issues relevant to the autumn statement that are more for...; Laura Kyrke-Smith | 765 c484 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for his hard work and for his calm and pragmatic approach. In my c...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c484 (Link to this contribution)
Fundamentally, I want to see greater market access to the US for small and medium-sized businesse...; Tom Gordon | 765 c479 (Link to this contribution)
The pharmaceutical sector appears temporarily to have avoided tariffs, but that may well change. ...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c479 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. He may be aware of the biopharma conference held in ...; Douglas McAllister | 765 c485 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. The announcement of a 10% tariff on all product...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c485 (Link to this contribution)
I am incredibly grateful to my hon. Friend for his question and for his accurate insight into som...; Scott Arthur | 765 cc485-6 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and congratulate him on his choice of whisky; th...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c486 (Link to this contribution)
I warmly welcome my hon. Friend’s words and his endorsement and seconding of my whisky choice. I ...; Andrew Lewin | 765 c486 (Link to this contribution)
I commend my right hon. Friend for the measured tone he has taken on events in Washington. I want...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c486 (Link to this contribution)
I warmly thank my hon. Friend for his question and his support for the approach we are taking. I ...; Jonathan Davies | 765 c487 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for the work he is doing as we face this cha...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c481 (Link to this contribution)
Those are very wise words, and I am grateful to my hon. Friend for putting them on the record. De...; Nusrat Ghani | 765 c481 (Link to this contribution)
I call David Pinto-Duschinsky to ask the final question.; David Pinto-Duschinsky | 765 c488 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—a joy as ever. I thank my right hon. Friend and the Prime Ministe...; Jonathan Reynolds | 765 c482 (Link to this contribution)
I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. He has articulated our approach, whic...; Nusrat Ghani | 765 c482 (Link to this contribution)
That marks the end of the very lengthy statement on UK-US trade and tariffs.
Subjects: Cars Exports Import duties Iron and steel USA Overseas trade Aluminium
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

UK-US Trade and Tariffs

Secondary information

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