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Minerals: Imports

Asked by Ian LaveryLabourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 26 March 2026UIN 122488

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the UK’s level of reliance on imported critical minerals essential for battery production, semiconductors and renewable energy technologies.

Answered by Chris McDonald

The 2025 Critical Minerals Strategy sets out the UK’s vision for securing the critical minerals that are essential for our advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence, and digital and technology sectors. In 2025, the UK imported £13.4 billion of critical minerals and their derivatives from the rest of the world. The Department is assessing the UK’s reliance on other countries, and working with international partners and industry to address this.

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