The value of British goods exported to the United States fell by 10.3% to £59.2 billion last year* following the introduction of US tariffs, according to an analysis of trade figures by business advisers and chartered accountants Lubbock Fine.
UK goods exports to the United States fell last year for the first time since the pandemic. The US remains the UK’s largest single trading partner, but new trade barriers have emerged. Since returning to office last year, President Trump has introduced sweeping tariffs on a broad range of imported goods, creating fresh challenges for exporters.
The majority of sectors saw a fall in the value of trade with the US, with notable reductions occurring in areas such as clothing, where UK exports fell more than 25% to £288.7 million. Footwear was down 21.2% to £33.5 million, while sales of works of art dropped 16.4% to £1.2 billion.
Even though the Government agreed a trade deal with Washington in May, which reduced tariffs on British cars from 25% to 10%, it was not enough to stop exports from tumbling. The value of car exports to the US fell by 28.1% to £7.5bn. Cars is one of the UK’s key export sectors.
Despite that trade deal, UK exports are set to be hit by further tariffs, as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stated that Washington will impose a global 15% tariff imminently.
Alex Altmann, partner at Lubbock Fine, said: “Tariffs have already reduced the value of British goods exports to the US and with more likely on the way, I would not be surprised to see further falls in trade. This illustrates the need for Britain to cultivate trade with other nations especially by reducing friction on trade with the EU, Britain’s biggest trading partner.”
The US accounted for 15.6% of the £379.8 billion’s worth of goods exported by the UK last year, compared to second placed Germany, which took 8.9% of the total. Altmann said that one way Britain can reduce its reliance on the US is by boosting trade with the European Union.
British goods exports to the 27 members of the European Union totalled £182.2 billion last year, which was down 1% on 2024. Altmann said that if the Government worked with Brussels to reduce red tape such as import / export declarations, document requirements and inspection requirements, it would kickstart growth in trade.
“The UK needs to reduce trade barriers with the EU, now that the US is a much more uncertain export market. The Government wants to create closer trade ties with Europe, and the business community would support it on this,” he said.
“There is just too much unnecessary paperwork involved in trading with the EU at the moment. You only have to look at the red tape, border checks and controls that have been placed on exports of food, drink, plants and animal products. These are completely unnecessary barriers to business.”
Although exempt from tariffs, pharmaceuticals and medicinal products – the UK’s second largest export sector – saw the value of goods shipped to the US fall 8.4% to £10.2 billion.
Last year President Trump introduced a range of tariffs, with the baseline set at 10% for UK goods being exported to the US. For some sectors, like aluminium and steel, tariffs were set as high as 50%. While the May trade deal agreed tariff reductions on a range of sectors, it is not legally binding.
*Calendar year 2025
