UK posts record drop in exports to US in April after tariffs
British exports of goods to the US fell by a record £2 billion in April following President Donald Trump's tariffs onslaught, the Office for National Statistics said today.
The data covers the period when a baseline 10% tariff was imposed on the UK and other countries by Trump at the start of April, along with sector-specific levies on cars, steel and aluminium.
The UK and US have since struck a trade deal cutting tariffs on British cars and scrapping them on steel and aluminium, while Britain agrees to open its markets to US beef and other farm goods.
Britain is still subject to the 10% tariff on most goods imported to the US.
The data shows the largest monthly fall in trade with the US since records began in 1997.
Decreases were seen "across most types of goods, following the recent introduction of tariffs," said ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown.
Exports of machinery and transport equipment, including cars, took a notable hit in April, after four months of consecutive increases in the export of British goods to the US.
Trade in goods between the UK and US remained balanced in 2024, according to ONS data.
Britain imported £57.1 billion worth of US goods last year and exported a total of £59.3 billion.
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