'America First, Britain Last': Trump Slaps British Goods From Shampoo To Steel With 25% Tax In Stealth Move

US President Donald Trump has sneakily brought in tariffs on hundreds of goods, affecting some of the UK's biggest firms. Among the affected products are children's highchairs, condensed milk, motorcycles and even shampoo. The imposed tariffs go up to 25% on hundreds of new categories that contain aluminium or steel, leaving businesses furious.

More on British Goods Slapped with Tariffs

The Trump administration has left bosses in Britain scrambling to navigate the effect of the tariffs. While they are being assisted by the government to assess damages, the scope of affected goods prove to be quite wide.

UK manufacturers on products like fire extinguishers, garden furniture and washing machines have been impacted. This goes with the aforementioned list, which includes condensed milk, shampoo and perfumes that come with aluminium packaging.

One of the manufacturers caught off guard by the move was Triumph Motorcycles, Britain's largest motorbike manufacturer.

Their chief executive, Nick Bloor, said that the recent announcement came 'as a surprise'. Given the circumstances of their recent trade agreement negotiations, the quiet arrival of the tariffs gave little room for reprieve.

Meanwhile, JCB chief executive Graeme Macdonald said that the tariffs would be affecting 30,000 of the construction machines and diggers they exported to America yearly.

He said that the tariffs as they now stand are 'hugely punitive and they catch every machine we ship to the US'. He added that it makes them reconsider how trading is done with North America.

Previously, Macdonald expected a tariff hit of around £2 million ($2.7 million).

Impact of the Trump Administration's Tariffs

This move was unexpected and follows the White House pressuring US steel companies. They were purposed to fulfil Trump's pledge to prioritise their domestic economy.

The Department of Commerce has described this move as 'very damaging to British industry'. Craig Beaumont, executive director at the Federation of Small Businesses has also spoken to The Times about the ordeal.

He said that the product restrictions were expansive, and were 'due to be permanently resolved in post-deal negotiations by now'. 'UK and US negotiators must buckle down quickly and do that, updating our SME exporters on what to expect at US customs', he added.

All things considered, UK manufacturers in compliance with the new rules 'will be extremely difficult', as per the Construction Equipment Association. This is because they use thousands of components often sourced from suppliers who don't consistently provide a breakdown of their origins.

This coming weekend, postal services worldwide announced that they are refraining from US shipments amid Trump's imposed tariffs. They claimed that guidance from the US has yet to be received concerning the new rule.

The US is requiring the services to pay import duties on all parcels due to enter the country. In turn, the postal services decided to suspend operations in the US until this matter is resolved.

The Trump administration's tariffs claim to boost American manufacturing while enforcing domestic job security. However, it continues to be a volatile trade policy that has thrown the world's economy into disarray.