Steel and aluminum are heavily used in the automotive and construction industry, but are also used to manufacture goods and appliances. The decision mirrors the actions Trump levied during his first Administration, when he enacted a 25% tariff on steel and 10% tariff on aluminum, though some countries, including South Korea were exempt.

Trump said on Sunday he would introduce new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the U.S., on top of existing metals duties, in another major escalation of his trade policy overhaul. Starmer's spokesman said while it was not possible to speculate on the impact of such tariffs without seeing details,