UK to apply for exemption from Trump's steel tariffs
Updated : 09:59
Downing Street will ask the White House for an exemption to his sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the United States after Donald Trump offered to show "great flexibility" to his "real friends".
Trump formally adopted the tariffs on Thursday, telling allies of the US that he would be accepting applications for exemptions from the tariffs as fears that the president was alienating the country's closest international partners grew.
"We will, of course, be looking to see how we can maximise the UK's case for exemption under these particular circumstances," said trade secretary Liam Fox, who was set to travel to Washington next week to discuss the tariffs.
Trump, who claimed that America had been the victim of "unfair trade" and believes the tariffs will aid the US's domestic market, slapped a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% duty on aluminium coming into the nation.
"We understand the anxieties about steel over-production that the United States has but we believe there are other ways to tackle that on a multilateral basis," Fox continued.
Gareth Stace, UK steel director at EEF, said, "Imposing such measures on US allies in the name of national security is difficult to comprehend. It is clear the underlying motivation is instead one of economic protectionism for US producers, in response to a global issue of overcapacity in the steel sector."
Trump's decision, set to come into effect before the end of March, has seen condemnation and criticism from the likes of China and France and led to the resignation of the White House's chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn.
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of Community, the steelworkers' union, said, "The steel crisis cost our industry thousands of jobs and the last thing we need now is a global trade war. The UK government must work with other EU nations to ensure we do not suffer the global consequences of Donald Trump's actions."
Canada and Mexico will automatically be exempt from tariffs as part of the North America Free Trade Agreement.