By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:50 BST, 30 September 2025 | Updated: 11:26 BST, 30 September 2025
Donald Trump has vowed to hit foreign-made films with a massive 100 per cent tariff – in a move that could devastate Britain's booming movie sector.The US President announced the crackdown on Monday, claiming Hollywood had been 'stolen' by rival nations.'Our moviemaking business has been stolen from the USA by other countries, just like stealing 'candy from a baby',' he posted on his Truth Social site.Mr Trump has long promised to restore Hollywood to its 'golden age', blaming generous tax breaks offered abroad for luring big productions away from Los Angeles.The impact on the UK could be severe with figures from the British Film Institute showing overseas investment made up 87 per cent of UK film spending last year – a 78 per cent jump on the year before.Mr Trump first floated the idea in May, calling foreign incentives 'a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a national security threat'.On Monday, he doubled down by taking aim at California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who he branded 'weak and incompetent'.'Therefore, in order to solve this long-time, never-ending problem, I will be imposing a 100 per cent tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the US,' he wrote.Whether the UK will be caught in the crossfire remains unclear, but when the UK-US trade deal was signed in May, Mr Trump told The Times that James Bond had 'nothing to worry about'.The US President's latest tariff threat to the UK comes despite his historic second state visit to Britain earlier this month, which saw both Mr Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hail the 'special relationship' between their two countries.But the pomp and pageantry afforded to Mr Trump failed to see a breakthrough in another US-UK trade dispute, with the steel industry left disappointed by his visit. Donald Trump has vowed to hit foreign-made films with a massive 100 per cent tariff – in a move that could devastate Britain's booming movie sector The US President's latest tariff threat to the UK comes despite his historic second state visit to Britain earlier this monthPlans for US tariffs on UK steel exports to be scrapped have been shelved, with the UK pausing its push to bring the levy down to zero.UK steel exports to the US currently face a 25 per cent tariff, compared with 50 per cent for other nations.Earlier this year, the UK and the US agreed for some UK steel to be exempt from tariffs. But there was no announcement on this during Mr Trump's trip to Britain.Downing Street is said to be waiting for clarification on how the film tariffs would work – and whether they would even apply to the UK.A Government spokesperson said: 'Our film industry employs millions of people, generates billions for our economy and showcases British culture globally. 'We are absolutely committed to ensuring it continues to thrive and create good jobs right across the country through our modern industrial strategy.'Industry figures poured scorn on Mr Trump's plan, pointing out that films are not traded like normal goods and questioning how tariffs would even be calculated – whether by box office or production costs.Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, the union for creative workers, warned the threat 'completely misunderstands' how the industry works.'Tariffs would be completely unworkable as most productions rely on global connectivity,' she said. 'Moreover, the imposition of tariffs would be a hammer blow the global sector can ill afford, as it would jeopardise the UK's highly skilled workforce.'The Government must be alive to this risk and work actively to protect the UK's world leading film sector.'
