UNITED AUTO WORKERS (UAW) president Shawn Fain said on Wednesday that new 25 per cent tariffs on foreign-made cars is a step towards ending “the free trade disaster.”

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he intends to impose tariffs on cars and light trucks imported into the country.

Mr Trump said that the tariffs would come into force on April 2. The US president said he believes the new tax could raise between $600 billion and $1 trillion over the next two years (between £463bn and £700bn).

Mr Trump said: “This will continue to spur growth like you haven’t seen before. We’ll effectively be charging a 25 per cent tariff. But if you build your car in the US, there is no tariff.”

Mr Fain said: “We applaud the Trump administration for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working-class communities for decades. 

“Ending the race to the bottom in the auto industry starts with fixing our broken trade deals, and the Trump administration has made history with today’s actions.”

Mr Fain said: “The UAW has been clear: we will work with any politician, regardless of party, who is willing to reverse decades of working-class people going backwards in the most profitable times in our nation’s history.”