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Iron and Steel: Import Duties

Asked by Dame Harriett BaldwinConservativeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 26 March 2026UIN 122095

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of steel tariffs on inflation.

Answered by Chris McDonald

The UK’s steel industry is fundamental to UK manufacturing, the UK’s critical national infrastructure and defence. Steel overcapacity is distorting markets, artificially driving down prices and threatening the viability of our already fragile domestic steelmaking sector – which has more than halved in the last decade.

Our aim is to strike the right balance: while the measure aims to ensure continued viability of UK steel production, we have considered the impact of supply for downstream sectors in the design of this measure.

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