This last week has been a worrying one for our area with the 25% tariff announced on the automotive industry which is, of course, of such importance locally.

Thousands are employed by businesses like Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin and associated businesses, and we are undoubtedly one of the regions that will be most affected by these tariffs from President Trump. 

I had made representations to both the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade before the tariffs were officially announced on 2nd April and made clear the impact they could have locally.

I will continue making such representations given the severity of this situation. I have also spoken to major exporters who employ many locally and want to do all I can to support them and their employees. 

To be clear, we should all be very proud to have Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin on our doorstep. They employ thousands of people locally in good quality jobs, produce world class British cars and contribute hugely to our economy.

The likes of Farage who talk down British industry could do with making a visit to see the work so many local people do at JLR and Aston Martin, creating real brilliance on our doorstep. It is hard to downplay the impressiveness of what British industry is producing when you see it firsthand.

In my office, I have a miniature Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin as a reminder of what our community produces. It is our neighbours, friends and families that are producing these iconic British brands. 

It was welcome to see the Prime Minister at Jaguar Land Rover earlier this week backing our automotive industry and announcing a range of measures to support our automotive industry in the face of these tariffs.

He rightly acknowledged that these tariffs are not good news, and we must act to combat that and to protect our national interests.  

That's why I worked hard this past year to urge the Government to adjust the ZEV mandate which sets the framework for the transition to cleaner alternative energy vehicles such as EVs.

They are good for the environment, good for business certainty and investment and good for British manufacturing. The Prime Minister correctly acknowledged that they must work for British manufacturers, and we cannot have a situation where companies like JLR are having to pay a hefty fine or buy credits from foreign EV companies.

These fines, introduced by the last Conservative Government, will instead be cut by 20% and any money raised from them will be invested directly back into support for the British car industry.  

Other measures include pushing the ban on new hybrid cars back to 2035, from 2030. These vehicles make a real difference to emissions levels and often spend huge amounts of time in electric mode, not contributing to a rise in these levels. 

I believe the approach our government is taking is the right one: we should approach this situation with calm heads and restrain from a knee jerk reaction.

A trade war is not in our interests, and we must remember this. What we must do is support our automotive industry and this is what we're doing. 

Alongside the 25% tariffs on the automotive industry, we have also seen an additional general 10% tariff on top of existing US duties, fees and taxes on UK exports in the US.

I appreciate how worrying this will also be for local businesses who do business in the US.

Please do get in touch if this is a situation you are in, I am keen to hear from you and understand how I can best support and represent you during this difficult time.  

As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any issues or concerns you would like to raise with me. I can be reached at [email protected] or on 01926 882006.