Category 4 Steel Imports: Tariff-free Quotas

Lord Leong Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd July 2026 Lords Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business and Trade (Lord Leong) (Lab)]

My Lords, before I respond to the noble Lord’s Question, I first want to say that in the last couple of weeks, we have been seeing each other across the Dispatch Box quite regularly, and it is arousing some suspicion from my wife.

I welcome the opportunity to respond to the noble Lord’s question. On 1 July 2026, the steel trade measure came into force, and I presented the details to this House on 30 June. The measure limits tariff-free steel imports, including for category 4, and reduces overall quota volumes by 51%, compared to the expired steel safeguard, to 3.2 million tonnes. Any imports above these levels will face a 50% tariff. The details of this measure have not changed since my Statement on 30 June.

[Lord Hunt of Wirral (Con)]

My Lords, we should not have had to read in the Financial Times earlier this week that the Government had made specific changes to the steel tariff regime for a particular country, India, following negotiations over one of the United Kingdom’s most important trade agreements. I welcome the opening words of the Minister, and I always enjoy exchanges with him in this Chamber. But Parliament should surely not be learning from the media that the Government have made specific changes to the steel tariff regime for any particular country following negotiations over one of the United Kingdom’s most important trade agreements.

The Ministerial Code is clear that major policy announcements should be made first to Parliament when Parliament is in session. Will the Minister explain why Parliament was not told the full details of any further India-related changes before the tariff regime came into force on 1 July, and will the Government now commit to making a Statement while your Lordships’ House is in session, setting out what changed, why it changed, and what assessment was made of the impact of these changes on domestic steel producers, downstream sectors, exporters, supply chains, investment and jobs?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My Lords, I will just say to the noble Lord that it was a pretty good try. First, there has been no change to India’s category 4 quota compared to the provisional quota published in April 2026. We did not negotiate quotas with any countries apart from our agreed outcome with the EU. We have been engaging with India on steel, as we have all our trading partners. Overall, quotas reflect the need to balance stronger protection for UK producers with continued access to critical inputs for downstream sectors and critical national infrastructure.

[Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD)]

My Lords, nearly 40,000 people are involved in steel production in this country. However, 400,000 people are involved in manufacturing as a byproduct from steel. It is really important that both sides of that industry are protected. My fear is that these tariffs may actually affect badly the manufacturing side of the industry; I seek reassurance from the Minister that this will not happen.

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My Lords, first, employment impacts form part of the Government’s wider assessment when determining any future steel trade measures. Our objective is to protect jobs throughout the steel supply chain, both in primary steel production and among downstream manufacturers. We continue to engage closely with producers, manufacturers and trade bodies to monitor market conditions. Where evidence suggests unintended consequences, we will continue to review the operation of the regime to ensure it remains proportionate and effective.

[Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Con)]

My Lords, while there is a case for protection for speciality steels for sectors like the nuclear industry, surely the Government’s wider policy on quotas and tariffs is harmful to British industry as a whole. The awkward reality is that the domestic steel industry cannot supply the total demand in this country. Imports have to happen and account for 60% of production in this country. If we do not allow those imports into this country, free of tariffs and quotas, it penalises those who are making finished products, who have to compete with imports which are finished and do not bear this taxation at the border. This is deeply harmful to British industry.

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for the questions. I think I responded to the noble Lord on Monday on a particular Urgent Question on steel and addressed the tariff issue. However, I will address his point about imports. We have carried out a programme of extensive engagement with industry, as well as negotiations with the EU ahead of its own steel measure coming into effect. Some 74% of all imports by volume fall outside the scope of this measure and will not be subject to any tariffs. For other products, tariffs will only be due once quotas have been exhausted. We will continue to hear from businesses and closely monitor the impact of this measure. We will also review it after 12 months to ensure it remains effective and that the balance is right for both producers and downstream users.

[Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB)]

My Lords, I welcome what the Government did in protecting the steel industry in this country, but do we not need to do a lot more to develop our resilience and reduce our dependence? Was the danger here not of Chinese domination of the industry? The Government were right to act. In that context, will the Minister say what compensation has been paid to the Chinese regime? On the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, about learning things from the media, was the Times accurate when it reported that China had offered debt relief in return for a green light for its proposed mega-embassy in London?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I will first address the issue on British Steel, which I am sure is what the noble Lord is referring to. We took British Steel into public ownership immediately after we passed the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act. As it stands, under the Act, we will appoint an independent valuer to assess the compensation, if any, that is due. As far as we know, it is zero compensation and that is where it stands. As for his question on the Chinese embassy, I am not aware of that, but I will find out and write to him.

[Lord Wigley (PC)]

My Lords, the Minister will be aware, from our earlier discussion on the steel legislation that went through this House, of my concern relating to the availability of steel for defence purposes. Can he give an assurance that in considering these changes the Government have given full attention to the reliability and dependability of supplies for defence purposes, particularly in circumstances where the defence pressures may be different from our current peacetime ones?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I remember our exchanges across the Dispatch Box. As I said then, I will say now that we are mindful of the specialised steel used in any of the industries that require a speciality type of steel. We will monitor the usage but, as it stands, any steel that is not manufactured in this country—which is imported—is outside the scope of the tariff.

[Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his answers. He is always informative, courteous and diligent at that Dispatch Box. If it is true that we have, as reported, widened the quota for India, we have presumably done so on two very sensible grounds. The first is good relations with India. This is a really important trade deal, and we can hardly renege on it when the ink is barely dry. The second is that we want to boost our domestic economy and, as the noble Lord, Lord Lamont, says, we do not want to place British manufacturers at a relative disadvantage vis-à-vis the rest of the world by forcing up their input costs. Why does that apply only to India? Should we not take the same approach to our trading partners in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the GCC, the European Union and elsewhere? Of course, the real answer is to cut energy costs but, until we get there, it does seem crazy that we are going down this Trumpian route of having these immensely high tariffs, which always serve to the detriment of the industries they are supposed to protect.

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for those kind words. We do not import steel only from India. In fact, the largest import of steel is actually from the EU, followed very closely by Vietnam, then India, and not forgetting South Korea. Those are the principal importers of steel into this country. As I said earlier, we have not changed the quotas as far as India is concerned. We continue to engage regularly with India and with Tata, which is owned by an Indian company, on the usage of steel in this country.

[The Earl of Effingham (Con)]

My Lords, following on from the noble Lord, Lord Hannan, why does the Minister think that the overwhelming majority of economists say that tariffs harm the economy?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I refer the noble Earl to other countries such as Canada and the USA, and to the EU. We are not the only country that has import tariffs. When a particular sector is impacted and it impacts on our domestic supply, it is right to have tariffs in place to protect the domestic sector, which in turn protects jobs and, I would hope, creates growth.

[Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway (Lab)]

My Lords, government action on this in the workforce is extremely welcome, because for many years our domestic steel industry was threatened by the dumping of cheap Chinese steel. This action was motivated by trying to give our steel industry a chance to grow, to win and to provide the security and sovereignty this country deserves. Can my noble friend the Minister reassure us that he will keep under review the tariff regime and that he will maintain a strong engagement with trade unions, whose members have an interest across industries and jobs and want to see this policy work?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My noble friend is absolutely right. We currently review tariffs, and, as it stands, we are committed to reviewing them again at the end of the 12-month period. I state again that the quotas in place were informed by evidence and analysis of market conditions. Where steels products are not produced in sufficient quantities in the United Kingdom, mechanisms remain available to ensure that businesses can continue to access essential imports, while maintaining appropriate safeguards for the domestic industry.

[Baroness Lawlor (Con)]

I thank the Minister very much for answering questions on the Statement so fully. My understanding is that, under this round, imports of galvanised steel to the UK will triple. Some of the concerns have been about the impact on production here. As my noble friend Lord Lamont said, we need to fill the gaps in our industry. Does the Minister have any idea what impact this will have on our own steel industry and our capacity to grow it?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My Lords, as it stands, the Government fully recognise the importance of ensuring that businesses can obtain the materials they require. That is the principal objective for this category of steel. For noble Lords who do not know what category 4 galvanised steel is, it is the steel that is mainly used for generic purposes such as steel automotives. The revised quota system seeks to balance the needs of downstream users with the need to protect the UK steel industry from unfair trading practices. We have to bear in mind that there is an oversupply of steel in the market, but we have to protect it in order to protect our local manufacturers and downstream users.

[Lord Hunt of Wirral (Con)]

I am very grateful to the Minister. He is in effect saying that there were no changes. Therefore, can he share with the House, in a full statement before we rise, exactly what tariff-free quota changes were made for category 4 galvanised steel products? That should include the quota granted to India, the basis on which it was calculated, any consequential changes for other countries and the assessment made of the impact on domestic steel production. I think we are entitled to that statement, if he could make it in due course.

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I will try to provide—I hope—a more robust and comprehensive response to the noble Lord. As I said earlier, there is no change to the quota on steel imported from India, as far as I am aware. On the assessment, we have laid two pieces of legislation setting out how this measure will impact different types of businesses. Bearing in mind that these measures just came in on 1 July—it has been only 21 days—we should give it some time before we see how it will impact the sector and industry. As I said, we constantly monitor the situation, and my ministerial colleagues have regular conversations with steel manufacturers and downstream users. I am really pleased that my colleague Chris McDonald has been reappointed as Minister of State—I congratulate him on that—and he has regular contact with the steel sector. We work very closely with the sector, and if there are any changes, we will address them accordingly.