Get Involved

Summary

The UK has secured the best deal India has ever agreed, providing businesses with security and confidence to trade with the fastest-growing economy in the G20. 

Complete Schedules and full details relating to the FTA have yet to be released but the conclusion summary sets out main attributes of the FTA including:

• Business movement, simplification of customs procedures and undertaking to earlier release of goods and potential deferment of customs duties for certain trades, strengthened IP rights and access to Government procurement.
• Full tariff schedules and RoO are not yet available - however the agreement states India will remove or reduce tariffs on 90% tariff lines (64% immediately), which covers 92% of existing goods imports from the UK. Some of the tariff alleviation will be staged over ten years. Tariff reductions, immediate or staged, will apply to advanced manufacturing exports including auto parts, machinery and tools, and medical technology devices, including surgical, dental and veterinary instruments. Aerospace automotive, electrical circuits and conductors, and high-end optical products all name checked across the two documents.
• The announcement implies RoO will continue to allow inputs from other countries “To qualify for reduced tariffs, the rules of origin specify that a product must either be wholly obtained or significantly transformed through processing in either the UK or India”.

 The announcement does not cover either market enforcement procedures or CBAM.

 India and UK continue to work on developing the legal text associated with the FTA agreement.

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Summary

You will be aware of the main headlines of the agreement - including the Youth Mobility Scheme, extending UK water fishing rights and a SPS agreement to aid UK food and drink exports to the EU (burgers and sausages as the press notice says)

The current press release is limited and more details will be set out over the coming days. It is also the case that the detail of how these initiatives will work are yet to be determined.

But for the wider manufacturing interest it is worth noting:

• UK/EU agreement to explore closer co-operation and joint investment in the defence industry, including possibility of co-operation through the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) – with potential opportunities for the UK’s defence industries and supply chain.
• Agreement to link Emissions Trading Systems (ETSs) with the EU. A linking agreement would mean UK industry will be exempt from paying the EU CBAM (you will be aware this was the design intention of both EU and UK CBAMs to take into account existing carbon levies). UK exports c.£7 billion of goods covered by the EU CBAM per annum. Linking ETSs also removes disincentives for EU emitters to store CO2 in the UK, making our industry more competitive.
• Exploring UK participation in the EU’s electricity trading platforms, to streamline electricity trading between the UK and the EU and potentially reducing the cost of electricity.

We are conscious that the deal does not support manufactured goods trade. DBT negotiators have been keen to stress this is the start of the process of re-establishing the relationship with the EU. While we explored several ideas with our EU partners, including MRAs, what we have announced reflects the outcome of those discussions to date.

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Summary

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📍 UK/EU
📆 3 July 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

The Government are seeking feedback on the UK CBAM. Any feedback should be sent by email to cbampolicyteam@hmrc.gov.uk

• Policy update
• Factsheet
• Draft legislation
• Draft explanatory notes

The policy update and fact sheet do not in themselves provide new information on the revised UK CBAM proposal (but confirms the announced rising of the minimum registration threshold to £50,000 over a rolling 12 month period the use of default values to aid calculation). 

The notice still states further details (and initial default values) will be released nearer implementation.

The draft legislation and draft explanatory notes provide some clarification on key issues including:

• Clause 5 – Stipulates the person who is liable to CBAM on the emissions embodied in the CBAM good is the importer.
• Clause 8 - Sets out the process used for the calculation methodology
• Clause 10 Part 7 - Group treatment
• Clause 11 – Evasion penalties
• Clause 14 - Exempt CBAM goods where they originate from a country with a linked ETS.

 

Summary

The UK Government will very shortly publish a regulation that bans the use of two chemical substances in construction equipment. The substances are Dechlorane Plus (a flame retardant used in electric cable insulation and connectors) and UV-328 (used in paints, coatings and plastic mouldings for protection against UV degradation). The CEA is generally supportive of environmental legislation, provided it is fair, proportionate and implemented in a practicable manner. However, in this case, the ban is planned to be imposed in February 2025 with no transition period during which CEA member companies could continue to supply their much-needed products while, in parallel, phasing out the use of Dechlorane Plus and UV-328 from their supply chain. Since learning of this development, the CEA has been highly active in advocating that the responsible government body, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), allows, for a limited period of time, the continued sale of construction equipment containing Dechlorane Plus and UV-328 prior to the ban being enforced. On 6 January, the CEA formally wrote to Defra, advocating that they: (a) urgently review the situation, (b) do not enforce the new regulation, and (c) amend the law so that the ban is delayed by a reasonable period, enabling CEA members to phase out the use of these substances in a controlled manner. Read the full letter.

Summary

Unfortunately, there was no mention in the budget regarding Full Expensing. On 29 August the CEA, HAE, and CPA submitted a joint letter to the new Chancellor of the Exchequer affirming that increasing full expensing allowance for short-term rented plant in construction brings a net benefit to the Exchequer of £26 million, while increasing capacity for both the national infrastructure pipeline and housebuilding. This letter was originally sent in January 2024.  The challenge remains around 'when fiscal rules allow' and we continue to work on this area. Read the full letter.

Summary

A meeting is being scheduled with several trade associations to agree on how to approach assisting the Government on drafting secondary legislation when the time comes.

Summary

The Government has unveiled new measures to support small businesses and the self-employed by tackling the scourge of late payments. We have been liaising with the Department for Business and Trade to advise how the Government can assist businesses with this matter.

 

Summary

Through the National Manufacturing Skills Taskforce, the CEA and our members were represented at a two-hour meeting on 25 November with Skills England looking at the skills agenda. The meeting was made up of trade bodies, training providers, and employers. It was good to see so much collaboration, and a resounding call for a more joined-up approach to align the skills agenda both with the industrial strategy and also across borders concerned devolved governments. We will keep members updated on future developments.

 

Summary

The committee within the International Standards Organisation (ISO) that is responsible for the development of standards covering test methods relating to safety and machine performance of earth-moving machinery met on 17 March in Hamburg, Germany. The session was led by the CEA’s Senior Technical Consultant, Dale Camsell, and the Chair of the CEA’s General Technical Committee, Jason Ong (Komatsu).

Over 60 delegates from around the world, including Australia, Brazil, China, various European countries, India, Japan, South Korea and USA contributed to the meeting, where standardisation matters on topics such as visibility, energy use, determining functional aspects of wheeled loaders, and potential future work of the committee were discussed. The outcome of the meeting was very positive and the committee will next convene in Q3 2026.

📍 UK
📆 8 May 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

This call for evidence seeks views, evidence and experiences of applying for and accessing debt finance in the UK. It sets out our interpretation of the evidence and our understanding of the debt finance landscape for small businesses.

It covers all aspects of:

• The lending market
• The demand for finance
• The application and approval process
• Alternative models of finance
• Under-served customers.

We are seeking your views and evidence to help us:

• Assess how far our existing policies meet the needs of business and the lending sector in overcoming barriers to finance
• Understand where we may be able to go further to create growth through our support for small businesses and the lending sector.

We need the input of market participants to shape our understanding of the evidence on the main barriers to accessing debt finance.

📍 UK/EU
📆 3 April 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

The DBT are seeking views on certain aspects of the UK Internal Market Act 2020. This includes issues relating to:

• The trade in goods across the UK under Part 1 of the Act
• The provision of services across the UK under Part 2 of the Act
• The processes for making exclusions for goods and services from Parts 1 and 2 of the Act
• The recognition of professional qualifications under Part 3 of the Act
• The role of the Office for the Internal Market in providing independent monitoring and advice under Part 4 of the Act.

The consultation is related to a review process contemplated by Parts 1, 2 and 4 of the Act.

They would like to hear from anyone affected by or with an interest in the operation of the Act’s provisions, including but not limited to:

• Businesses and their representative organisations
• Specialist interest groups
• Academia
• The devolved governments.

📍 UK/EU
📆 1 May 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

On 2 April President Trump announced universal 10% tariffs on top of existing US duties, fees and taxes on all imports from all trading countries, including the UK. This will come into effect on 5 April.  The new 10% tariffs announced on 2 April will not apply to US imports of steel, aluminium and automotive products, which are already subject to additional S232 tariffs of 25%.

As the Business Secretary and Prime Minister said on 3 April, it is of course disappointing that the US has decided to impose global tariffs and we know this will be extremely concerning for businesses and consumers across the UK. A link to the Statement made by the Secretary of State is here. 

Request for input
 
To enable the UK to have every option open to us in the future, the Department has launched a Request for Input.  We want to hear from business and stakeholders about your concerns and your assessment of the impact of any further steps we take and want UK businesses to help shape our response to US tariffs.  Further information on the Request for Input and an indicative list of potential products in scope of any future UK tariff response can be found here. You can also find the press release on the Request for Input here.

The Request for Input will run for four weeks until 1 May 2025. Once the Request for Input closes, the Government will reflect on the feedback and consider how best to respond. 

📍 UK/EU
📆 3 April 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

The DBT are seeking views on certain aspects of the UK Internal Market Act 2020. This includes issues relating to:

• The trade in goods across the UK under Part 1 of the Act
• The provision of services across the UK under Part 2 of the Act
• The processes for making exclusions for goods and services from Parts 1 and 2 of the Act
• The recognition of professional qualifications under Part 3 of the Act
• The role of the Office for the Internal Market in providing independent monitoring and advice under Part 4 of the Act.

The consultation is related to a review process contemplated by Parts 1, 2 and 4 of the Act.

They would like to hear from anyone affected by or with an interest in the operation of the Act’s provisions, including but not limited to:

• Businesses and their representative organisations
• Specialist interest groups
• Academia
• The devolved governments.

📍 UK/EU
📆 30 March 2025
✅ Members to respond directly
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Summary

The DBT seeks views from stakeholders to inform the development of the steel strategy - The Plan for Steel. The Government will publish a steel strategy in spring 2025. This consultation seeks views on the challenges and opportunities presented to the sector, to inform the development of the steel strategy.

📍 UK
📆 17 January 2024
✅ CEA consultation

Summary

The Department for Business and Trade is developing a Trade Strategy, currently expected to be published in Spring 2025. The Trade Strategy will seek to address:

• How to facilitate trade for businesses and provide practical support tools.
• How to build the right partnerships internationally.
• How the UK should operate in the international context.

As this is an informal process, it is not being published on gov.uk.