Full list of UK exports hit hardest by Donald Trump tariffs - from cars to pharma

's swingeing tariffs have been tipped to hit five UK exports the hardest, including cars and aircraft. The US President upended the global trade order on Wednesday as he announced from countries around the world.

Data from the Office for National Statistics show the UK's top five exports to the in terms of total annual value last year are all in high-end manufacturing. These were cars, pharmaceutical products, power generators, scientific instruments and aircraft. Sambit Bhattacharyya, a Professor of Economics and Head of Department of Economics at University of Sussex, told the Express the risk for the UK now is that the large multinational companies which produce those goods will scale back their operations in Britain.

He said: "Firms operating within [high-end manufacturing] are typically large multinationals. The risk for the UK economy is that these multinationals would redirect their investment out of the economy in order to hold on to the US market.

"The Trump administration's expectation would be to incentivise these multinationals to relocate their production, or at least some part of it, to the US via using instruments such as very low taxes and low regulation."

He said only time will tell if this would work for the Trump administration, adding: "What is inevitable is that trade diversion and readjustment of supply chains will take place. Operating costs for firms will increase in the short run and they will pass on that extra cost to consumers. Therefore, the tariffs will be inflationary in the short run."

Professor Bhattacharyya warned the exposure of Britain's high end manufacturing to the US market would risk job losses and loss of investment in the medium to long run.

He added: "Tariff and inevitable retaliation would increase uncertainty and cost of investment for large multinational firms. As these firms save and invest largely in dollars, their behavioural response in the face of uncertainty would be loss aversion, delaying their investments, and bringing their capital back to US jurisdiction.

"This will strengthen the dollar which will have a deflationary effect for the US and an inflationary effect for the rest of the world."

Mr Trump unveiled tariffs on countries around the world from the Rose Garden of the White House where he said the UK would be subject to a 10% rate, putting the country in the lowest "baseline" category. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged today that British exporters will be hurt by the levy.

While the blanket 10% tariff will come into effect on Saturday, the car industry has already been hit with a 25% import tax which began in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Within government there has been an element of relief Mr Trump had not singled the UK out for more punitive measures as the European Union's rate was 20%, Japan's 24% and Chinese goods arriving in the US will be hit with a staggering 54% tariff.

Figures from the ONS show the United States was the UK's largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of September last year, accounting for 17.2% of total UK trade.

Britain exported £58.1billion worth of goods to the US in the year to September 2024, dropping £4bn on the same period to 2023.

Sir Keir said on Thursday that negotiations for an "economic prosperity deal", which it is hoped could mitigate the impact of the tariffs, will continue.

The UK exports much more in services to the US, amounting to £124.4bn in the four quarters to the end of September last year. This was an increase of £3.2bn on the same period to 2023, according to the ONS.

Goods imported to the UK from the US amounted to £56.3bn in the 12 months to September 2024, with imports in services from the United States totalling £55.2bn over the same period.

Out of all Britain's trade partners, the US ranks the highest, with UK trade with the US valued at £179.4bn in 2023. In the same year, Britain imported £112.2bn from the US.