Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram wrote to Sir Keir Starmer after the levy was announced earlier this month
Steve Rotheram and Richard Parker (R) wrote to the Prime Minister(Image: Getty Images)
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has pressed the Prime Minister on how the Liverpool City Region and the area’s economy can be protected from the worst of tariffs imposed by the United States. In a flurry of announcements on what was referred to as “Liberation Day” US President Donald Trump announced a series of tariffs on nations across the globe.
Among them was the UK, with a 10% levy put on all imports from Britain to the United States. Mr Trump confirmed this week it would be paused alongside other tariffs except China for 90 days. There were concerns around the impacts the tariffs could have on the UK’s car industry, with Jaguar Land Rover – which has a major Halewood plant – confirming it would halt all exports across the Atlantic.
Mr Rotheram has confirmed in the aftermath of the dramatic announcement last week from the United States, alongside West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, he wrote directly to Sir Keir Starmer calling for action. The Liverpool City Region Mayor met with the Prime Minister ahead of a combined authority meeting this afternoon to explain the implications on our region’s economy.
Addressing members, Mr Rotheram said he had discussed how life sciences, port and automotive industries would be impacted with Sir Keir on the call, which he described as “an opportunity for us to explain directly to the Prime Minister about some of the implications on the economy of the Liverpool City Region”.
He said: “The Prime Minister talked about life sciences. Life sciences is not just an important cluster for us – we are actually the largest bio-manufacturing life sciences cluster in Europe. It’s a significant sector for the UK but it’s a particularly large sector for us in the city region.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 9: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosts the first roundtable of regional English mayors with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Ben Houchen, Mayor of the Tees Valley and Steve Rotheram Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, at Downing Street on July 9, 2024 in London, England. Sir Keir Starmer hosted the first roundtable with metro mayors from 11 regions across England. (Photo by WPA Pool/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
“The Port of Liverpool handles 45% of all UK trade with the US and the US is our single biggest source of overseas investment. The USA is our largest export market, and that £1.8bn each year could be jeopardised.
“Places like Jaguar Land Rover would be enormously impacted. Last Thursday myself and Richard Parker, Metro Mayor of the West Midlands, immediately wrote to the Prime Minister on behalf of JLR.
“Within days the Prime Minister did act and addressed some of those things and JLR thanked the Prime Minister for that swift action. It’s not all doom and gloom – economic growth is above where we believed it would be – and where it was forecast to be.
President Donald Trump(Image: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“We want to be at the forefront of economic growth across the whole of the country and we can help national government deliver on its missions.” The Prime Minister convened the meeting with England’s mayors to update them on the government’s pragmatic approach to the evolving international context.
The Combined Authority said the UK Government was maintaining an approach of calm and sensible investment decisions, while keeping all options on the table.