By Rashmi Pandya, Macalvins’ COO
I don’t usually get dragged into courtroom drama, but when a US court rules major import tariffs illegal, only for another court to say they can still be collected, you start to wonder: what exactly are UK exporters supposed to plan around?
It is a question I’ve been discussing a lot with clients lately. Many hoped the recent ruling against President Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs would mark a turning point.
But in reality, very little has changed. And that’s a problem.
Are we any better off?
The key tariffs hurting UK exporters haven’t gone anywhere.
Cars are still subject to a 27.5 per cent duty. Steel and aluminium still attract 25 per cent.
These were never part of the court ruling, and a deal to reduce them (agreed months ago), is still sat in the waiting room, with no timeline for implementation.
Meanwhile, exporters of whisky, salmon and other goods might feel a flicker of relief.
But that flicker could be short-lived. The White House has already said it plans to appeal. And if not through this channel, there are other mechanisms to reimpose tariffs elsewhere.
So no, UK businesses are not in a stronger position today than they were last week. In fact, they may be in a more confusing one.
Why does this matter to you?
Because uncertainty costs money. It delays decisions. It freezes investment. It plays havoc with everything from pricing to logistics.
And it’s not just a problem for multinational giants. I work with SMEs who are shipping niche goods to the US and suddenly finding their models no longer stack up.
The most damaging thing here isn’t the tariffs themselves. It’s the unpredictability of it all.
How do you write a budget when a court case in New York could change your costs overnight?
How do you manage margins when the rules are written by two rival branches of US Government, and enforced only when politically convenient?
So what can you do?
This is the part where most articles give you a tidy list of action points. But in truth, there’s no checklist for handling uncertainty. There’s only preparedness.
If your business touches the US market directly or indirectly, you need to be looking at:
- How sensitive your pricing is to duty changes
- Whether your contracts account for fluctuating costs
- How well your supply chain could absorb a sudden jolt
It’s about scenario planning, not speculation. And it’s about keeping your decisions agile, even when the headlines are anything but.
While we can’t control international politics, we can absolutely plan for it.