British steel products used in the US Department of Defense, the UK hopes that the United States will exempt tariffs

British Commerce Minister Stephen Reynolds said Britain would try to persuade the U.S. government to exempt steel and aluminum products from tariffs because of their role in the U.S. defense sector and manufacturing supply chain.

Reynolds said on Thursday that he agreed with the United States about global steel overcapacity, but that he believed "there is a strong case to be made that the UK is not the problem".

Reynolds said British steel and aluminum exports to the United States are often used in U.S. defense products and components and are part of the U.S. manufacturing supply chain, and he would negotiate based on that. "I think there is a basis for discussion."

He stressed that US President Donald Trump's trade policy was aimed at reducing the US trade deficit with the EU and China, not at Britain.

Trump signed an executive order on Monday, announcing that from March 12, 25% tariffs will be imposed on all imports of steel and aluminum from the United States, and the duty-free quotas and exemptions for some trading partner countries.

Speaking about the tariffs in early February, Trump said he thought "some sort of solution" could be reached with Britain.

The British Iron and Steel Association warned that the new US tariffs could have a "devastating" impact because the US is the second largest export market for British steel, worth more than £400m a year.