UK trade weathers tariff shocks with agility and new deals: BCC

The second quarter of 2025 saw UK goods exports to the US fall 13 per cent year-on-year (YoY), hit by record-high tariffs and the removal of the $800 de minimis threshold, which even paused postal deliveries.

Despite this, UK firms remain resilient, as highlighted at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC)’s Global Annual Conference session on Global Trade, chaired by Chris Heyes of the UK-India Business Council.

Speakers including Robert Begbie – CEO NatWest Commercial and Institutional, Gregor Poynton – Labour MP for Livingston and member of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee, Jun Du – Professor of Economics at Aston University, and William Bain – BCC Head of Trade Policy, stressed that UK companies are adapting through agility and diversification.

Goods exports remain focused on the EU, the UK’s largest market, while Indo-Pacific ties are expanding rapidly, BCC said in a release.

The India-UK CETA, due in about a year, will slash over 90 per cent of India’s import duties, adding £4.8 billion (~$5.61 billion) to the UK economy and directly boosting exports. Membership of the CPTPP also unlocks growth from £31 billion in current goods exports to the bloc, while trade missions reinforce China’s role as a vital market.

Though 2025 has been turbulent, UK exporters are urged to diversify markets, seize new trade deals, and leverage services strength to turn uncertainty into opportunity.

UK exports to the US fell 13 per cent in Q2 2025 amid record tariffs and loss of the de minimis threshold.
Yet, UK firms remain resilient.
The upcoming India-UK CETA and CPTPP membership promise fresh opportunities.
Experts at the BCC conference urged exporters to adopt market diversification and leverage services strengths to navigate global trade headwinds.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)