The UK government stated on Friday that it expects its preferential trade status with the United States to continue, following a US Supreme Court decision that struck down former President Donald Trump's broad-based tariffs. In April of last year, Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to announce "reciprocal" tariffs on imports from most US trade partners, including the UK. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump's use of this law exceeded its statutory authority. Under the reciprocal tariff policy, the UK faced a baseline tariff rate of 10%.

However, Friday's ruling does not affect the majority of bilateral trade covered under separate US-UK tariff agreements. These agreements primarily involve sector-specific tariffs based on other US legal frameworks. The two countries have previously reached several tariff-related understandings, including a reduction of US tariffs on UK automotive exports from 27.5% to 10%, and a reduction of steel and aluminum tariffs from 25% to zero. These specific sectoral arrangements remain unaffected by the ruling.

A UK government spokesperson said in a statement, "The UK has one of the lowest reciprocal tariff rates globally, and we expect our preferential trade status with the US to continue under any circumstances." The spokesperson added, "We will work with the US administration to understand how this ruling will impact tariff policies for the UK and the rest of the world," and stated that the government would provide support for British businesses as more details emerge.

William Bain, Head of Trade at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said the ruling "does little to clear the fog for businesses." US tariff policies have long increased costs for UK firms, suppressed export growth, and caused tangible economic losses. This ruling fails to address the core uncertainty facing businesses. Bain noted that it remains unclear how US companies might reclaim import duties already paid, or whether UK firms have any right to partial refunds.

"For the UK, the priority remains reducing tariffs as much as possible," he said, citing a yet-to-be-implemented agreement under the US-UK tariff deal to reduce steel tariffs. The two sides had previously agreed to a phased reduction, with the UK government preferring a full reduction to zero to further enhance the export competitiveness of the UK steel sector. Bain stated, "Any competitive advantage we can secure could help drive our exports to this largest global trading partner." As the UK's most important trade partner, the US market is crucial for British export growth, and UK businesses urgently need a stable trade environment and clear policy expectations to expand exports to the United States.