The steelmaking trade body in the UK says that the country needs a trade deal for British producers after the USA and EU struck a deal to end a trade war.
UK Steel has said the country has been left behind after President Biden signed a deal to end tariffs on EU steel imports imposed by Donald Trump.
Now that the UK has left the European trading bloc, the agreement does not cover UK steelmakers and UK Steel said a deal for British producers was “sorely needed”.
According to US officials, the deal will eliminate Europe’s retaliatory tariffs against US products including bourbon whiskey, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and motorboats that were set to double on 1 December.
Gareth Stace, director-general of UK Steel, told the BBC that British steel producers now had a competitive disadvantage compared to the EU in its second-largest market.
“Whilst it is promising to see the US take steps to open up access to its steel markets again, there is significant concern that UK producers have been left behind in this process and continue to wait for their own deal,” he said.
The tariffs, which came into force in 2018, nearly halved British steel exports to the US, which is the second-largest market for British-made steel.
But the new tariffs agreement will put UK producers at a competitive disadvantage compared to European rivals who will be able to ship to the US without paying import taxes.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has said the UK and US are in talks to remove “damaging tariffs” from British steel exports.
In a statement, the US Department of Commerce said: “The United States and the United Kingdom are consulting closely on bilateral and multilateral issues related to steel and aluminium, with a focus on the impacts of overcapacity on the global steel and aluminium markets; the need for like-minded countries to take collective action to address the root causes of the problem; and the climate impacts of the sectors.”
A Department for International Trade spokesperson said: “We welcome the Biden Administration’s willingness to work with us to address trade issues relating to steel and aluminium, and it is encouraging that the US is taking steps to de-escalate this issue.”
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