Minister for Trade (Sir ): Following EU Exit, the UK
transitioned over 43 trade remedy measures. These measures were
originally applied on behalf of all 28 Member States, including
the UK, by the European Commission. Two of these 43 measures were
anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of certain bus
and lorry tyres of Chinese-origin.
The UK committed to conduct transition reviews of all 43 measures
to ascertain whether the measures are appropriate for the UK
market, including whether they should be extended or terminated.
As the UK's independent trade remedies investigatory body, the
Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is responsible for the conduct of
transition reviews. The TRA make evidence-based recommendations
to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State carefully
considered their conclusions, the evidentiary basis and relevant
matters in the public interest before deciding whether to extend
or terminate existing UK measures, such as those 43 the UK
transitioned from the EU.
In 2022, the European Commission lost a legal challenge brought
by Chinese industry, challenging the anti-dumping and
anti-subsidy measures that the EU had in place on bus and lorry
tyres of Chinese-origin. The methodology underpinning the EU's
measures on behalf of the 28 Member States was found to be
flawed. The European Commission re-opened both investigations and
in 2023 recalculated the duties, backdating the effect to remedy
the issue. The new duties applied only on behalf of the 27 Member
States as the UK had already exited EU.
The UK was unable to take comparable action without a review of
the measures. On 3 May 2023, the TRA initiated the transition
reviews of our anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports
of bus and lorry tyres of Chinese-origin. Through the transition
review, the TRA received compelling evidence supporting a
recalculation of the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties
inherited from the EU.
Following a consideration of the evidence provided to them by
domestic and foreign interested parties, the TRA recommended to
the Secretary of State that both measures be extended for a
further five years. The TRA also recommended that certain duties
be increased, whereas others should be decreased. Domestic
legislation limited the TRA to be able to only recommend that
these new duties be applied from the original date of expiry of
both measures - 23 October 2023 for the anti-dumping measure, and
13 November 2023 for the anti-subsidy measure.
Whilst the Secretary of State accepted the basis of the TRA's
recommendation to extend both measures and amend the duties, the
Secretary of State believed that the amended duties should be
applied from different dates. The Secretary of State believed
that it is in the public interest and the reasoning was as
follows:
- For those duties the TRA recommended be increased, the
Secretary of State decided to apply these prospectively from the
day after the public notice was published (1 August 2025). This
is because applying the increased duties prospectively is in
accordance with World Trade Organization rules on prospectivity
and represented a fair outcome for the affected UK importers. The
Secretary of State also does not anticipate the TRA finding
themselves in this situation again – the issue was driven by the
original EU duties being found to be flawed. The TRA has almost
completed all transition reviews of those 43 measures the UK
originally inherited.
- For those duties the TRA recommended be decreased, the
Secretary of State decided to apply these from 1 January 2021.
This was to remedy the fact that the UK inherited duties from the
EU that were subject to a successful legal challenge by Chinese
industry in 2022. This again represented a fair outcome for UK
importers.
The Government published a public notice on 31 July 2025 to give
effect to the Secretary of State's decision from 1 August 2025.
