Welcome to the latest episode of United Kingdom Tariff News and Tracker, your essential update on the shifting sands of US-UK trade, tariffs, and the policies shaping both economies. In today’s edition, we’re focusing on the most recent developments in US tariffs, the specific impact on the United Kingdom, and the broader headline news touching both nations as of mid-October 2025.
First, the big picture: this year, global trade has been rocked by the return of Donald Trump to the White House, who has made tariffs a central plank of his economic policy. According to S&P Global, the total cost to global businesses from Trump’s new tariffs is projected at a staggering $1.2 trillion in 2025, with about two-thirds of that burden landing on consumers. For the UK, this means navigating a more protectionist US market just as its own goods trade deficit widens. Office for National Statistics data shows the UK’s goods trade gap hit £21.18 billion in August 2025, the largest since January 2022, with exports declining across the board, especially to the EU and the US.
On the tariff front, the UK government moved swiftly after the Trump administration announced new import tariffs on April 2, 2025, measures that directly affected many British businesses. In response, a new US-UK trade agreement took effect at the end of June, reducing tariffs on UK car exports and removing duties on aluminum and steel—two sectors where the UK had faced significant barriers. However, a 10% blanket tariff remains in place for most other UK exports to the US, according to Trading Economics. This means UK exporters outside the automotive and metals sectors still face elevated costs when selling into the American market, which has contributed to a notable drop in machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, and material manufactures exports in recent months.
There are also sector-specific developments worth noting. In pharmaceuticals, the US imposed a dramatic 100% tariff on imported branded or patented medicines from October 1, 2025, unless manufacturers are actively building facilities in the US—a policy that exempts generic drugs but leaves UK and Swiss firms fully exposed, unlike their EU and Japanese counterparts who benefit from a 15% cap. For other goods, such as wood products, existing US trade deals cap tariffs on UK imports at 10%, but the broader trend is toward higher barriers and greater uncertainty.
Finally, listeners should keep an eye on the expiry of the Biden-era suspension on spirits tariffs, which is set for June 2026. Industry groups like the Scotch Whisky Association are pushing for a permanent resolution to avoid a return to higher duties, but with the current US administration’s focus on domestic protection, the outcome remains uncertain.
In summary, the UK is navigating a complex and increasingly costly trade landscape with the US, marked by both targeted relief in some sectors and persistent, broad-based tariffs in others. The ripple effects are being felt across exports, supply chains, and consumer prices. As always, we’ll continue to track these developments closely.
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