Economy Minister Dr has said that the
British Government's Steel Trade Measures do not serve the
interests of businesses in Northern Ireland.
The British Government set out its proposed Steel Trade Measure
in March, including a significant reduction in tarifffree import
quotas and a 50% duty on outofquota imports across 20 product
categories including steel not produced in Britain. Since then,
the Minister and her officials have been in regular contact with
industry representatives to understand the potential impact for
downstream users of steel in the north, which have included
concerns about availability, price and competitiveness.
The Minister has taken every opportunity to relay these concerns
to her British and Irish Government counterparts, reflecting also
the imminent introduction of EU steel trade measures from 1 July.
Following confirmation of the final details of the Steel Trade
Measure, announced on 25 June, the Minister said
today: Since its initial proposals were set out in March I
have been pressing the British Government to take into account
the interests of industry here, which is heavily reliant on
imported steel, including specialist grade steel not produced in
Britain. While the British Government has introduced some
mitigations, this policy remains hugely detrimental to our
economy. The interests of producers in Britain have been
prioritised over our local businesses that rely on steel.
She continued: This is another hammer blow to industries
which are already dealing with a crisis in the cost of doing
business. British Government decisions, such as the increase in
National Insurance Contributions, are making this cost crisis
worse. I will continue to advocate on behalf of local businesses
and press the British Government to change course.
Notes to editors:-
- Further information on the UK's Steel Trade Measure is
available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-steel-trade-measure-from-1-july-2026/uks-steel-trade-measure-from-1-july-2026
