Recommendation 29

Although the Department claimed to be listening to feedback and holding discussions with industry to understand the concerns, it said it would not review the tariffs for 12 months.79 It said unused quotas would roll forward, but when we asked if the tariffs could put small businesses out of business, it could only say it was “afraid that may well be the case”.80 The Department said it cannot mitigate all the costs to business, and was still preparing guidance. It was not clear on what exemptions would be available, despite the response from industry.81 77 Qq 93-96 78 British Chambers of Commerce, Steel Tariffs Risk Serious Damage To UK Manufacturers, May 2026 79 Qq 88-91 80 Qq 88, 92-95 81 Qq 91-98 19