Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is set to hold talks with the head of JCB following the firm's warnings about the consequences of fresh US tariffs on British enterprises.
JCB's chief executive Graeme Macdonald has urged the Government to get a "deal done quickly" with America regarding steel, after hundreds of British products became liable for new American duties at the weekend. The Business Secretary is scheduled to meet with him this week to examine the effects of these charges.
Around 400 product categories containing steel and aluminium were hit by US tariffs over the weekend, including those manufactured in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ. These categories encompass items featuring metal components, such as garden furniture and children's cots, alongside shampoos and other goods with aluminium-containing packaging, as reported by .
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British manufacturers have pressed ministers to finalise an agreement designed to eliminate the metals tariffs, which º£½ÇÊÓÆµ and US negotiators failed to complete when the trade deal between both nations was concluded in May.
Donald Trump increased steel and aluminium tariffs for other countries to 50% earlier this year, though the levy on British products stayed at 25%. Companies based in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ are hoping an agreement might slash the tariff rate to 0%.
JCB's chief Mr Macdonald told the Sunday Times there was "chaos at the US ports right now" as British products remained stuck whilst officials rolled out the new tariffs.
The JCB boss said: "They need to get a deal done quickly because this is very damaging to British industry."
He added: "This has blindsided everybody. It's blindsided us, it's blindsided the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ Government, it's definitely blindsided US customs.
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"We're not releasing our items until we have finalised our interpretation of the rules, and neither is anybody else. So there's a huge backlog of imported goods in every port now in the US."
A Government spokesperson responded: "Thanks to our trade deal with the US, the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ is still the only country to have avoided 50% steel and aluminium tariffs but we are committed to going further to give industry the security they need, protect vital jobs and put more money in people's pockets through the Plan for Change.
"We will continue to work with the US to get this deal implemented as soon as possible and in industry's best interests."