Donald Trump accused of gutting-out UK’s historic | Tech News

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds blamed Donald Trump‘s tariffs and competitors from China for the droop in vehicle manufacturing.

He instructed BBC Breakfast he was “very concerned” concerning the industry, which he described because the “jewel in the crown” of British manufacturing.

“I’m very concerned about automotive, the pressures on the system which come from the US trade agenda, but also an incredible increase in capacity from China. It’s why as a Government we’ve adopted so many measures specifically around the automotive sector.

“So that is the whole lot from the economic strategy, which reduces the power prices for British automotive factories making automobiles – automobiles, vans and buses. It’s additionally why we modified the regulation that we inherited from the earlier authorities on the transition to electric automobiles, why we negotiated the automotive quota with the US – a key market for us in that regard – and likewise why we have simply introduced an incentive program for… electric automobiles made within the UK, which can convey the price down for British customers.”

Data from the SMMT shows that 417, 232 vehicles have been built in Britain so far this year up to June 2025. This is down on the 473,583 models which had left forecourts by the same stage last year in a major blow.

However, there was some good news with data showing an increase in the number of electric cars being developed. The statistics revealed that while overall output fell, electrified car production rose by 1.8% to 160,107 units.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, stressed the UK manufacturing statistics were “disappointing” however revealed the UK might “reverse” its decline.

He defined: “Global economic uncertainty and trade protectionism have taken their toll on automotive production across the globe, with the UK no exception. The figures are not, therefore, unexpected but remain very disappointing. However, there are foundations for a return to growth.

“The industry is moving to the technologies that will be the future of mobility, our engineering excellence, highly-skilled workforce and global reputation are strengths, and we have an Industrial Strategy with advanced manufacturing and automotive at its core.

“With rapid delivery and the right conditions, UK Automotive can reverse the current decline and deliver the jobs, economic growth and decarbonisation that Britain needs.”