SPARKS WILL FLY
Trade war as EU vows to fight 25% US tariff on steel
DONALD Trump has slapped a 25% tariff on British steel, threatening jobs and £360million of annual steel exports – and sparking a fresh trade war.
Ministers said they were “deeply disappointed” at the move, which ends an exemption for EU countries and could be devastating to the UK’s already fragile steel manufacturing industry.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was “concerned” by the decision.
He said: “This is a bad day for world trade. What they can do, we’re able to do exactly the same.”
He said Europe would announce “counter-balancing measures in the coming hours”.
New figures from the GMB show 34,000 people are employed in steel manufacturing in the UK, with the highest concentrations in already deprived areas in Wales and the North of England.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said yesterday: “We look forward to continued negotiations... with the European Commission, because there are other issues we need to resolve.”
But Shadow Steel Minister Gill Furniss said: “This is a catastrophic blow to the sector and steelworkers across the country. Theresa May and her Government have approached the crisis with utter complacency and have proved too feeble to stand up to Trump.”
The Mirror is campaigning to save British steel.