Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the implications for the UK steel industry of the US Section 232 investigation on the effect of imports of aluminium on US national security.

Given the breadth and depth of the UK-US relationship, there are regular discussions between UK Ministers and their US counterparts on economic and other issues – including the current Section 232 investigations. Global overcapacity in steel and other sectors has also been discussed regularly with international partners, including at the G7 Summit.

My Rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade visited Washington on 19-20 June for meetings with the Commerce Secretary and United States Trade Representative, to discuss a range of issues including the future UK/US trade relationship and key UK interests including steel.