British Exports to the United States Fall After Trump Tariffs

British exports to the United States fell sharply after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs, according to official data released Friday, even as Washington moved to ease pressure on one of Scotland’s best-known industries by removing import taxes on Scotch whisky.

The Office for National Statistics said exports to the United States had “remained relatively low” since Trump’s broad tariff campaign began in April last year. The value of British goods shipped to the U.S. dropped by £800 million, or about 14%, in April 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier, the agency said.

The decline came despite a trade agreement reached last year between London and Washington that capped U.S. tariffs at 10% on most British manufactured goods, including cars. The ONS said car exports were still a major factor behind the overall fall, adding that shipments had “remained below pre-tariff levels… despite this tariff reduction.” A cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover in September also weighed on exports, the agency said.

Pharmaceutical exports also declined, which the ONS said may be linked to U.S. efforts to increase domestic drug production.

Trump announced Thursday that he was lifting tariffs on Scottish whisky, offering relief to an industry that has been under pressure from trade tensions. The move came as King Charles III and Queen Camilla completed their state visit to the United States.

“Distillers can breathe a little easier during a period of significant pressure on the sector,” Mark Kent, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said.

The United States remains the largest export market for Scotch whisky, worth about $1.2 billion a year. But Luke Tegner, head of consulting at data provider IWSR, said the tariff removal would not solve all of the industry’s problems. “Removing the tariffs is certainly good news for the industry, but Scotch consumption in the US has been slowly declining for several decades,” he told AFP.

He added that other long-term pressures were also affecting producers beyond trade policy.

Even with the drop in exports, the ONS said the United States remained Britain’s biggest goods export partner.