UK business activity falls for the first time since October 2023 as trade tensions hurt economy, and car sales slide – business live

<p>Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news</p><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/06/barbie-maker-mattel-us-prices-trump-tariffs-ford-china">Barbie maker raises prices due to Trump tariffs as Ford warns of $1.5bn cost</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/05/fears-trump-foreign-film-tariffs-wipe-out-uk-movie-industry">Trump’s foreign film tariffs could ‘wipe out’ UK movie industry, ministers told</a></li></ul><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Car sales across the UK fell by over 10% last month, compared to a year ago.</strong></p><p>New industry data shows that 120,331 new vehicles were registered in April, 10.4% fewer than in April 2024.</p><p>In what is traditionally a quieter month following the March plate change, volumes were also impacted by the late timing of Easter, resulting in fewer working days.</p><p>In addition, the implementation of VED changes affecting all new cars, including the Expensive Car Supplement which became applicable to many new EVs from 1 April, pushed transactions into March as shrewd buyers got ahead of the tax increases.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2025/may/06/trade-war-china-service-sector-uk-eurozone-ford-tariffs-bp-shell-oil-business-live-news">Continue reading...</a>