Steel trade disruption 2025

Changes to UK trade remedies are a welcome first step to tackling trade challenges
April 2025: The Chancellor and Secretary of State for Business and Trade provided a clear signal that fairness has to underpin our approach to global trade. The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has been directed to increase resourcing in its pre-application office, take a more proactive approach in trade flow monitoring and speed up the pace at which investigations are completed. 
Trade remedies, including anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguarding measures are extremely complex tools that require a high evidentiary threshold, often take a year to implement and are highly resource intensive for industry to undertake.  
While trade remedies are an essential part of the toolkit to address unfair trade, there is an increasing recognition globally, including by the EU, that traditional trade remedies tools are increasingly unable to meet the scale of the challenge.
New Trade Strategy to arm Government with the weapons to defend industries such as steel
June 2025: The Trade Strategy will enable the Government to counter unfair trade and deliver a level playing field so that UK companies can compete.
Secretary of State backs UK Steel proposals to tighten existing steel safeguards
June 2025: UK Steel’s recommendations to strengthen existing steel safeguard measures were taken forward today after the Secretary of State stepped in at a critical time for industry. The Government accepted UK Steel’s arguments to limit the liberalisation of the existing steel import quotas to 0.1%, down from 3.0% previously, in line with the measures taken by the European Union. These safeguards expire in June 2026.
Government calls on steel companies to contribute to post-safeguard trade defence design
June 2025: The Department for Business and Trade called for evidence from steel producers as it begins work on a new system to replace the UK’s steel safeguards, which are due to expire in June 2026.
Originally introduced as an emergency, temporary measure to prevent import surges from overwhelming the UK market, the safeguards have become less effective as their quotas have been gradually liberalised each year. 
With the 2026 deadline approaching, the Government must now establish a successor mechanism. UK Steel is advocating for a robust new strategy that restores fairness to the market, supports the restart of idle capacity, grows domestic market share towards 60%, and strengthens the wider supply chain.
US steel tariffs implemented from March, UK benefits from world best reduced tariff rate
July 2025: UK steel has steered clear of US tariff hike and remains at 25% import - and benefits from the lowest import tariff in the world.
UK steelmakers will steer clear of President Trump’s 50% steel import tariff that was hiked up in June 2025. The 50% tariff being applied to other nations is set to replace the broad brush 25% tariff the President slapped on all steel imports earlier this year, which came into effect on 12 March.
EU unveils plan to slash import quotas, with potentially devastating results for UK steelmakers
October 2025: The UK steel industry’s access to the European Union, by far our most important export market, could be severely curtailed after measures announced in Brussels. The proposal set out by the European Commission would slash existing tariff-free import quotas to around 18 million tonnes, while the out-of-quota tariff would be doubled to 50%. The prospect of a sharp reduction in EU imports is a major concern for UK steelmakers. The EU market is the destination for 78% of all UK steel exports, totalling 1.9 million tonnes of steel in 2024. 
The UK Government must respond in two ways: 
  • Negotiate preferential treatment for the UK, including country-specific quotas
  • Put in place its own tightened import quotas