UK expected to reduce amount of steel it allows in tariff-free

Steel is transported at a steelworks in Duisburg, Germany. Imports into the UK are covered by quotas known as safeguards, which are due to expire in June. Photograph: Christopher Neundorf/EPA

The UK is expected to reduce the amount of foreign steel it allows in tariff-free, as the government looks to protect its domestic industry amid a global glut and a rise in protectionism.

Ministers are considering changing the quota system that allows a quantity of the metal to be imported before imposing a 25% levy on anything above that level.