UK-US Trade and Tariffs

Viscount Chandos Excerpts

Thursday 3rd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

I thank the noble Viscount for the questions—they are challenging to answer. I shall start with the second question first. Where are we in that pecking order? Unfortunately, we can see only our side of that conversation. I see that there is engagement. This is a dialogue where the phone is being picked up on the other side. Questions are being listened to. I heard the Secretary of State say this morning that he had already today been in dialogue. An ongoing conversation is happening, and I take some reassurance from that that our voice is being heard in that narrative. The noble Viscount is right that a lot of conversations will be happening, a lot of negotiations will be occurring, and I take reassurance that that is being listened to.

On the extent to which we are championing particular sectors, there are examples where we champion sectors regardless of the outcome. We see that in the industrial strategy that we launched, where we have identified those key growth strategies and sectors that will support our future growth. However, as we understand particular sectors that may be impacted, that is one of the driving forces of the request for input that we have had—as we understand where those key risk areas are within our economy but also where the key opportunities are that perhaps we should be championing a little more.

[Viscount Chandos (Lab)]

My Lords, I recognise that the Government’s priority must be to achieve the best possible outcome in relation to tariffs between the UK and the US. I am cautiously optimistic that this Government will do a great deal better than the Conservative Government did over many years, despite the litany of excuses put forward by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt.

Does my noble friend the Minister agree, however, that we should also throw our weight behind improving the deal for other countries that are, in many cases, facing much higher tariffs than the UK: first, in the interest of the global trading system; secondly, to save low-income countries, as other noble Lords have highlighted, from devastating economic damage—a multiple of the hit that the UK may suffer—and, thirdly, in the interests of the many UK companies whose businesses are based on supply chains between those other countries and the US?

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

On my noble friend’s question about the impact not just within the UK but outside, if we think about our supply chains, we see that so many are interconnected and have a fierce reliance not just on the UK, the US or Europe but on so many other countries that pass through those supply chains—especially when we think about things such as digital services that we are championing. Making sure that we support those industries, not just to support their economies and those that could be most in need but to support our supply chains, is something that would ultimately benefit both sides of that equation.

I come back to the fact that, today, I am just speculating, because I still do not understand fully how those tariffs will affect our supply chains and some of the sectors within those other countries. Yes, we need to make sure that we have strong and robust supply chains and are supporting those nations that benefit most from the value of that international trade, but I cannot comment further on exactly what the specifics look like at this point in the absence of more detail.