Fri, 20 Feb 2026

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 Uncertainty for UK firms after US tariff ruling, experts say

UK firms are left in limbo after a court overrules many US tariffs but Donald Trump says he will reintroduce them

* UK businesses face uncertainty following the US Supreme Court's decision to strike down many of President Trump's tariffs.
* Trump has said he will introduce a 10% global tariff and reintroduce the struck-down tariffs using different legal means.
* The court's decision does not impact tariffs on specific sectors in the UK, such as steel, aluminium, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and aerospace.
* However, countries that have struck trade deals with the US, including the UK, will now face the global 10% tariff rather than the tariff rate they had previously negotiated.
* The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has said the decision "does little to clear the murky waters for business".
* A White House official said countries that struck trade deals with the US will be expected to keep abiding by the concessions they had agreed to under those deals.
* There is uncertainty around the question of refunds, with economists raising doubts about the likelihood of the US handing back over $130bn in import taxes collected under IEEPA.
* Trump has said the question of refunds would be fought in the courts "for the next five years".
* UK businesses are calling for clear guidance on how the ruling will be implemented and progress on resolving remaining tariffs on steel and aluminium.
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