May to pressure Trump on tariffs
Theresa May is to use the G7 meeting in Canada to press Donald Trump to reverse tariffs introduced on European steel and aluminium.
The decision by the US leader to slap 25 per cent and 10 per cent tari f fs respectively on the metal imports was wrong and illegal, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox insisted yesterday.
But whi le he said EU counter-actions had so far been proportionate, he cautioned against measures that might spark a fullblown trade war.
Fox told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK was still seeking tariff exemptions based both on specific products and also geographic location.
He followed the lead taken by May on Friday in drawing a link between UK steel imports and US national security projects.
Fox said: “We will still be mak ing that case throughout this week.
“We of course have the G7 leaders meeting at the end of the week where the Prime Minister will be raising this with President Trump alongside other leaders.”
He added: “The United States believes, I believe wrongly and illegally, that this is a national security matter for the US.
“Given that we export some pretty complex steel products to the United States which are part of their national security programmes themselves, this reasoning that is given is wrong and therefore we believe unlawful.”