Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the sectoral economic impact of US tariffs.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the economy. This includes sector-by-sector impact assessments and scenario modelling. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US and the ways that we support UK businesses in this rapidly changing environment.
This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has conducted an impact assessment for the UK-India trade deal.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer my predecessor gave to UIN 73978 on 5 September 2025.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of US tariffs on economic growth.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the UK economy, in a rapidly changing global trading environment. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US. This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal, which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.
By securing and implementing this deal, we are supporting the conditions necessary for economic growth.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled UK partnership brings new 250-bed Islamabad hospital closer to opening of 24 June 2025, if he will make an estimate of the net impact on the public purse.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While the specific contract value is commercially sensitive, all income generated supports NHS initiatives and trust improvements. Income generated through this International Affiliate Programme is reinvested into the Trust, supporting a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing both NHS and private healthcare services. By leveraging international partnerships such as this one, the Trust not only strengthens its global reputation and reach but also yields domestic and international healthcare benefits.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release Major investment partnership worth £24 billion to transform key growth sectors and deliver affordable housing across UK, published on 19 May 2025, if he will publish a full list of sites to be developed.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We can disclose the sites of the development as released by TCE on 19 May 2025:
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52390 on Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions, how many automotive manufacturing businesses are operating in the sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
In 2024, there were 3,570 businesses operating across UK automotive, of which the vast majority are small and medium sized businesses. Our Industrial Strategy aims to significantly increase investment and jobs in eight high-growth sectors - including automotive - by capturing a greater share of internationally mobile capital, encouraging domestic businesses to scale up, and creating resilient supply chains.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52390 on Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions, how many people are employed in the automotive industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
132,000 people were employed in automotive manufacturing in the UK in 2024, 5.1% of total UK manufacturing employment, around half in manufacturing finished vehicles and half in manufacturing car bodies, parts and accessories. In addition, a further 263,000 jobs are estimated to be supported by the industry in the wider economy through its purchases of goods and services such as sales and maintenance, machinery and materials and financial services.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of energy on automotive manufacturers.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We speak regularly to all major UK automotive stakeholders to understand the health of the sector and factors that impact competitiveness. Our modern Industrial Strategy will focus on tackling barriers to growth in areas important for automotive companies to grow and invest in the UK. The Strategy will build on existing support for the automotive sector, including the Budget commitment of over £2 billion of funding to 2030 for zero emission vehicle manufacturing.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make a comparative assessment of US tariffs on the UK (a) in July 2024 and (b) under the new UK-US trade deal.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
On 8 May, we concluded a landmark economic deal with the US. We’re the first country to secure a deal with the US which gives our companies a preferential tariff rate. Lowering or removing tariffs across a range of sectors will help to ease the burden on businesses by reducing costs and making them more competitive, which in the long run will help to secure jobs and avoid businesses closing.
We are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, enhancing access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help reduce employment costs for the automotive industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Jobs will be at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy, which will focus on tackling barriers to growth, creating the right conditions for increased investment, high-quality jobs and ensuring tangible impact in communities right across the UK. The strategy will build on existing support for the sector, including the Budget commitment of over £2 billion of funding to 2030 for zero emission vehicle manufacturing.
We have also made significant changes to the ZEV Mandate to help drive investment and support the transition. Additionally, we speak regularly to all major UK automotive stakeholders to understand the health of the sector and factors that impact competitiveness.