US President Donald Trump has announced plans for sweeping tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on 60 countries, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, citing concerns over forced labour. The US Trade Department stated that the proposed tariffs target nations that have allegedly failed to take sufficient action against the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
Latest Move in Trade Dispute
This development represents the latest escalation in Trump's trade policy following a February ruling by the US Supreme Court that declared his earlier 'liberation day' tariffs illegal. Subsequently, the president introduced blanket 10% tariffs worldwide on February 24, though these were also deemed unlawful by the US trade court, a decision currently under appeal.
Affected Countries
The new proposed tariffs would impact major US trading partners, including the UK, Canada, the EU, Japan, Norway, Taiwan, and India. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer emphasized the administration's stance, stating: 'The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field. We will no longer tolerate this disparity.'
Greer acknowledged that some countries have taken steps to address the issue but insisted that 'each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labour globally.'
Consultation Process
The US is now consulting on the proposed tariffs, with hearings scheduled for July 7. This follows an investigation into 60 trading partners regarding their 'failure of various economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.'
UK Government Response
A UK Government spokesperson responded: 'We're tackling forced labour in the UK and in global supply chains to ensure UK businesses are not complicit in forced labour and human rights violations. We continue to engage regularly with the US administration as part of our negotiations, and have made clear the actions we're taking. The preferential access that UK businesses benefit from under our existing agreement remains in place and there is no change to the UK's tariff rate.'
