UK–US car trade deal hailed as jobs boost for West Midlands

National World - LocalTV

A new UK–US trade deal cutting car export tariffs is being welcomed by Jaguar Land Rover and other West Midlands manufacturers as a major boost for jobs and industry.

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00:00The UK has become the first country to strike a deal with the United States to reduce car

00:06export tariffs, a move expected to protect jobs and boost the motor industry.

00:12The agreement sees most tariffs on UK-made cars drop to 10 per cent, after they were

00:17raised to 27.5 per cent under President Donald Trump.

00:22Jaguar Land Rover, headquartered in Coventry and with sites in Solihull and Wolverhampton,

00:27had paused exports to the US but resumed them last week in anticipation of the deal.

00:33JLR's chief executive Adrian Mardell said the deal provides vital stability for the automotive

00:39sector and the communities it supports.

00:42He noted the car industry supports a quarter of a million jobs and plays a key role in the

00:47UK's economic well-being.

00:49Sakhir Starmer described it as an historic deal and said that in uncertain times securing

00:55such agreements is essential.

00:57West Midlands business leader Steve Rigby also welcomed the move, saying it relieves economic

01:02pressure on manufacturers trying to transition to electric vehicles.

01:08His recent report warned the higher tariffs posed a structural risk to both the regional

01:13and national economy.

01:16Other carmakers with routes in the West Midlands, including Morgan in Malvern, Bentley in Crewe

01:21and Aston Martin in Gaydon are also expected to benefit.

01:25Professor David Bailey from Birmingham Business School said this could be a major boost, pointing

01:31out that cars are the UK's biggest export to the US and that the region would have been

01:36among the worst affected by the previous tariffs.

01:39However, the US's 10% baseline tariff on imported goods will remain in place for now.

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