The UK has no forced labour import ban. UK goods now carry a 10% US tariff because of it.

In March the US trade office opened investigations into 60 economies, the UK among them, to test whether each one stops goods made with forced labour at its border. It found that the UK has only a partial regime. The result is an extra 10% duty on most UK goods entering the US, in force since 24 July 2026, with no end date.

The tariff is about the UK’s laws, not your suppliers. It still changes the conversation with your US customers.

Why the UK was caught

The Modern Slavery Act asks large companies to report on their supply chains. It does not stop goods at the border. The US already has an import ban, and the EU’s applies from 14 December 2027. The UK has neither.

A UK ban is coming, slowly

In July the trade minister said he hoped for some form of import ban before the end of this Parliament in 2029, and accepted that the process is slow. Due diligence comes first.

The US notice leaves a door open. It allows exemptions for UK products where that would encourage the UK to adopt and enforce a ban.

Who feels it most

The pressure is highest for UK firms selling into the sectors US Customs watches most closely: clothing and cotton, aluminium, polysilicon, seafood, copper and steel.

Your evidence will not lift the tariff

The tariff applies to the country, not the company. But your US customer is held to its own standard. US Customs’ 2026 guidance tells importers to do their checks before goods arrive, not after a detention. A buyer who must prove its own supply chain will keep the suppliers who can prove theirs.

Your evidence decides whether your US customer can keep buying from you. The same evidence will answer EU buyers when their ban applies.

What to check this quarter

1. Check the tariff code. See whether your products appear on the US list of UK exemptions. Goods already covered by Section 232 tariffs, such as steel and aluminium, are treated separately.
2. Review what you have sent. List the US customers who have asked about forced labour in the past year, and what you sent back.
3. Name the plant. For each key input, identify the plant that made it, not only the trading company that sold it.
4. Test your statement. Make sure your Modern Slavery statement says only what you can evidence.

Where we come in

Meridian Intermediaries builds the evidence file behind your answer to a US or EU buyer:

• each key input traced to the plant that made it;
• owners screened against US, UK and EU lists;
• every link graded, so your customer can see what is proven.

The same file serves your US customers now and the EU ban in 2027.

Has a US customer sent a forced labour questionnaire? Request a Questionnaire Response → or speak to us first.