Category 4 Steel Imports: Tariff-free Quotas

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I refer the noble Earl to other countries such as Canada and the USA, and to the EU. We are not the only country that has import tariffs. When a particular sector is impacted and it impacts on our domestic supply, it is right to have tariffs in place to protect the domestic sector, which in turn protects jobs and, I would hope, creates growth.

[Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway (Lab)]

My Lords, government action on this in the workforce is extremely welcome, because for many years our domestic steel industry was threatened by the dumping of cheap Chinese steel. This action was motivated by trying to give our steel industry a chance to grow, to win and to provide the security and sovereignty this country deserves. Can my noble friend the Minister reassure us that he will keep under review the tariff regime and that he will maintain a strong engagement with trade unions, whose members have an interest across industries and jobs and want to see this policy work?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My noble friend is absolutely right. We currently review tariffs, and, as it stands, we are committed to reviewing them again at the end of the 12-month period. I state again that the quotas in place were informed by evidence and analysis of market conditions. Where steels products are not produced in sufficient quantities in the United Kingdom, mechanisms remain available to ensure that businesses can continue to access essential imports, while maintaining appropriate safeguards for the domestic industry.