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 reduction in tariff-free import quotas and increase in safeguard tariffs from 1 July 2026 on the number of businesses reliant on imported specialist steel products relocating production overseas; and whether his Department has modelled the potential impact on UK manufacturing capacity and exports.

The Government has held extensive consultations with industry to inform development of the new steel trade measure, including a Call for Evidence in July 2025, and will continue to engage with companies across the supply chain. The measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply so the UK can meet its defence and critical national infrastructure needs. We will continue to monitor the impact of the measure and review it after 12 months to ensure the balance is right between producers and downstream users.