Exports to US fall as Donald Trump’s tariffs bite

By EMILY HAWKINS

Updated: 21:50 BST, 15 June 2025

British manufacturers are turning their backs on exporting to the US after Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The President unleashed a barrage of tariffs earlier this year – and now a survey from manufacturing trade body Make UK has shown that six in ten British firms believe volumes they ship to the US will be hit.

The group also slashed its growth forecast for manufacturing in 2026 from +1 per cent to -0.5 per cent – blamed on both a weak economy at home and uncertainty from US tariffs abroad.

Change of direction: British manufacturers are turning their backs on exporting to the US after Donald Trump’s tariffs

Data this month showed exports to the US fell £2billion in April. It was previously the second top destination for UK manufacturing exports, behind the EU. Now firms prefer Asia, Make UK said.

Seamus Nevin, Make UK’s chief economist, said Labour needs to take ‘radical action to ensure companies can access the people they need to take advantage of a more competitive landscape’.

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Exports to US fall as Donald Trump’s tariffs bite

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