According to ALFED, the UK government’s Autumn Budget 2025 poses challenges for the UK metal industry.

The UK’s Autumn Budget 2025 has generated a mix of opportunities and challenges for the metal industry, especially for aluminum manufacturers and processors. While some measures seek to alleviate the pressure on energy costs and emissions, the industry warns that relief may come too late.

Nadine Bloxsome, CEO of ALFED, the UK’s Aluminium Federation, stated: “The budget recognises many of the pressures facing the aluminium and metals sectors, but the planned assistance, such as the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS), will not be available until 2027. Some companies cannot wait that long to face rising energy costs and protect jobs and industrial capacity.”

In the UK, the Autumn Budget is the official presentation of fiscal, economic and industrial measures carried out by the British Government, usually between October and November each year. It is not a real “seasonal” budget, but a formal name.

In this case, the Autumn Budget 2025 refers to the latest update of policies and fiscal measures from the UK Government for that year, including impacts on the metal industry, energy and industrial competitiveness.

Among the measures announced, the government has postponed the inclusion of indirect emissions (e.g. electricity) in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) until 2029, and revised technical aspects of the CBAM to avoid duplicate burdens on aluminum companies. However, high energy and labor costs continue to raise concerns about the sector’s competitiveness in the coming years.

Bloxsome added: “We must work together with the government to ensure that relief arrives in time and supports investment in the UK metal industry. It is essential that energy and environmental policies consider the urgency of protecting our industrial capacity.”

ALFED is coordinating the sector’s response to the BICS consultation, building a database on energy, scrap and downstream processing, and closely monitoring the implementation of the CBAM, to ensure that the interests of British aluminum are represented in legislation and compliance guidelines.