Kit joins cross-party call to rethink damaging steel tariffs
Kit urging a rethink on steel imports at Prime Minister’s Questions
Kit Malthouse has joined MPs in calling on ministers to urgently rethink new steel tariff rules that could damage British manufacturers such as Andover-based Stannah Stairlifts.
In a letter to the Business and Trade Secretary, the MPs warn that the new steel import regime, expected to come into force in July, risks causing harm to thousands of manufacturers that rely on importing certain grades of metal not readily available in the UK.
Kit has been raising the issue in Parliament, directly with the Prime Minister and government ministers.
He said:
“Stannah is exactly the kind of company we should be championing. It employs local people in skilled jobs, manufactures in Britain, and exports products around the world.
“Yet under the government’s current plans, companies that import steel to manufacture products here in the UK could face significant new costs, while overseas competitors can manufacture products abroad using the same steel — and then import those finished goods into Britain without facing the same tariffs.
“That is madness. We should not be putting British manufacturers at a disadvantage in their own market.”
In their letter, the MPs argue that higher tariffs could lead to increased costs, cancelled orders, reduced competitiveness and potential job losses across the manufacturing sector.
The group has called on the government to pause, delay or phase in the new regime while a review is undertaken — and to address the loopholes that risk putting UK manufacturers at a disadvantage.
Kit added:
“Manufacturers are already facing enormous pressures from high energy costs, rising employment taxes and a weakening economy.
"The last thing government should be doing is making life harder for them as they attempt to create jobs and invest in communities like Andover.
“Ministers still have time to get this right, and I urge them to listen to businesses like Stannah before it’s too late.”