British Exports to US Suffer Record Slump as Tariffs Take Effect

The UK’s Office for National Statistics said that April witnessed the largest drop in exports to the United States since 1997.

UK exports to the United States suffered a sharp drop of 8.8 percent in April, as the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs began to take effect, official data revealed on Thursday.

After rising for the past four months, British goods exports declined significantly by 2.7 billion pounds ($3.7 billion) in April 2025, with falls in exports to both the EU and non-EU countries.

“After increasing for each of the four preceding months, April saw the largest monthly fall on record in goods exports to the United States with decreases seen across most types of goods, following the recent introduction of tariffs,” Liz McKeown, the director of economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics, said.

After rising for the past four months, British exports to the American market, including precious metals, dropped by 2 billion ($2.7 billion) in April 2025, the largest monthly decrease since records began in January 1997.

The value of goods exports to the United States is now at its lowest level since February 2022, the ONS added.

Auto manufacturers also reported lower output and exports to both the United States and the European Union.

British economic output declined during the month of April, with gross domestic product falling by 0.3 percent from the previous month.

Drop-offs in real estate and legal activity after a temporary tax break on house purchases ended also contributed 0.2 percent of the 0.3 percent fall in output in April, according to the ONS.

Britain’s total trade in goods and services deficit (excluding precious metals) also widened by 4.9 billion pounds ($6.7 billion) to 11.5 billion pounds ($15.6 billion) in the three months to April, as imports rose more than exports.

The pound dropped a quarter of a cent against the dollar after the ONS data was released.

The fall off in trade across the Atlantic comes just over a month after London and Washington jointly announced a much-celebrated trade deal on May 8.

Though full details of the agreement have yet to be hammered out, what was revealed was that the UK would lower the tariff rate on American goods from 5.1 percent to 1.8 percent.

The 10 percent U.S. universal baseline tariff rate on UK goods, however, remained in place.

By Guy Birchall