Issue No. 1150, 16th May 2025 FOR MEMBERS ONLY
Association Activities
Watch the Recording of the CPA Webinar: U.S. Tariff Disruption, Uncertainty, and the CPA Construction Forecasts
U.S. tariff disruption has increased uncertainty and made market forecasting even more difficult than during Covid-19 Pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis. The webinar, hosted by Professor Noble Francis, focuses on the potential impacts for the U.K. economy and construction sector. Watch the recording and download the slides, here.
Pictures from the CPA Spring Lunch 2025
The CPA we would like to thank all our guests for coming to our Spring Lunch 2025, in particular we would like to express our gratitude to the sponsors ( Barbour ABI, Kilsaran, Peak AI and Siderise) for their invaluable support, which helped to make this event a reality.
To view the photo album from the day, click here. If you want to download pictures, please add the following code: 4215.
CPA Webinar: Green Paper on Construction Products Reform with Building Safety Minister Alex Norris MP
The video of this event is now available to watch here. Please share the link amongst colleagues if they were unable to watch the webinar live. Officials at the MHCLG have also requested that CPA members fill out this form to help them with providing further information to members on the Act as it progresses.
Weekly Calendar of Meetings
- Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, will meet with directors at the MHCLG, OPSS and Building Safety Regulator to discuss product issues; will join a workshop for an independent review of property flood resilience led by Peter Bonfield; attend a meeting of the Building Advisory Committee Part B Working Group to discuss fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings; and will attend the weekly meeting of the Construction Leadership Council’s Task Force.
- Jeff May, CPA Deputy Chief Executive, will attend a meeting of the CBI’s Trade Association Council and join Peter in the CLC’s regular Task Force meeting.
- Professor Noble Francis, CPA Economics Director, will make an economic presentation to the Construction Industry Council Economic and Policy Briefings group.
- Mark Wilkinson, CPA Senior Technical Manager, will attend a meeting of BSI’s CB/3 group to discuss ‘Regulation and Standards for Construction Products’; will attend of the UKCA Industry Stakeholder Group hosted by the Department for Business and Trade.
- Jane Thornback, CPA Sustainability Policy Advisor, will meet with MHCLG to discuss chapter 10 of the Green Paper on Construction Products Reform; will host a meeting of the CLC Green Construction Board’s Resources, Waste and Circular Economy Group; and join a meeting of the Finishes & Interiors Sector’s sustainability leadership group.
- Hanna Clarke, Digital and Policy Manager, will have a variety of meetings with industry colleagues and civil servants around competence.
Economics Update
CPA State of Trade Survey Published
The CPA State of Trade Survey for the opening quarter of 2025 suggested that even before tariff-related disruption and uncertainty hit the UK economy in April, the construction recovery was taking a little longer to gain momentum. In Q1, product sales decreased for a balance of 15% of heavy side firms, which comes after three previous quarters of growth. Click here to read more. The Survey is available free to CPA members.
CPA Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update
Please note that U.S. tariff and global trade issues information is now in a separate live document that is constantly updated, and today’s version is available here, Note that the information on U.S. tariff disruption and global trade issues remains unchanged since last week’s document.
The latest weekly update is available here, including:
- ONS Construction Output (March 2025)
- ONS and Barbour ABI Construction New Orders (2025 Q1)
- ONS UK Construction Wage Inflation (March 2025)
The CPA’s Spring Forecasts were published on Monday, 28th April and are available for members to download from the CPA Website. Also note that the ONS has suspended its monthly UK building materials price data (and other producer price data) due to concerns about its reliability, which the CPA has been highlighting since the impacts of the energy and price spikes in Spring 2022.
CPA Briefing Paper: The Impacts of U.S. Tariffs
Following strong demand from members and government alike, the CPA’s economics team has published a briefing paper on the ‘Impacts of U.S. Tariffs’. This document will be revised as the situation develops, and made available to CPA members every Friday with our Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update. To receive this document via email every Friday please contact noble.francis@constructionproducts.org.uk ; alternatively, you can click here to read it now.
Government Update
Parliament will rise to begin the Whitsun recess on 22nd May and will return on 2nd June.
Trade Mission to Egypt (16-19 June)
The Department for Business & Trade, in collaboration with the Egyptian British Chamber of Commerce, have organised a Trade Mission to Cairo on 16-19 June 2025 and invite CPA members to attend. These sectors have been identified as priority by Egyptian Government: Transport (Rail / Road / Airports / Ports); Renewable & Clean Energy; Logistics & Supply Chain; Smart Cities & Green Construction; Water; Waste Management; Training and Skills for Construction (and other Infra sectors); Fintech for Construction. The itinerary is almost done and will include:
- Opportunities to engage with Egyptian Government Ministers
- Round table events with key stakeholders / major local contractors
- Meet the Buyer – both B2B AND B2G
- Networking at British Embassy and with Buyer Organisations
- Site Visits to significant infrastructure projects
- Opportunity to visit Big 5 Cairo and Egypt Water Expo.
There is no cost to join – delegates will be asked to cover their own flights / accommodation and in-market expenses (and the Egyptian British Chamber of Commerce are working now to secure discounts). You can register your expression of interest via this link, which is NOT a commitment to attend but will mean you can receive further information about the mission to help you decide if it is right for you.
Govt Opens Consultation on Improving Integrity of Voluntary Carbon Markets
Government seeks to clarify and test their proposed policy and governance framework for helping to ensure the integrity of voluntary carbon and nature markets. Find the consultation here, deadline is 10 July 2025. For further details contact Jane Thornback.
Govt Opens Consultation on the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
This is a technical consultation to get feedback on the drafting of the primary legislation of the UK CBAM. The purpose of a CBAM is to place a carbon price on specified goods imported to the UK from sectors that are at risk of carbon leakage. The aim being to protect UK manufacturing. Find details here. For further details contact Jane Thornback.
Industry News
The Installer Show (24-26 June 2025)
The CPA and many of our members are supporting The Installer Show at the NEC Birmingham from 24-26 June, and we encourage others to attend. The Installer Show has gone from strength to strength over the past years and is highly recommended for its industry representation and engagement as well as a topical speaking agenda. To register, click here.
Association for Specialist Fire Protection
The ASFP is hosting a seminar in Edinburgh focused on the latest practices in passive fire protection along with updates on regulations. This networking event is designed to provide valuable insights into industry trends, standards, and practical applications that are crucial for ensuring safety and compliance. To find our more please follow the links below.
https://asfp.org.uk/page/ScotlandSeminar
BRE rebrands the Home Quality Mark to BREEAM Residential
BRE has streamlined its offerings and the Home Quality Mark (HMQ) is now rebranded and BRE has released it as residential sustainability assessment, BREEAM UK New Construction: Residential V6.1. Find details here. For further details contact Jane Thornback.
CPA in the News
The Unanswered Questions over Donald Trump’s Trade Deal with Britain
Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, said it was also unclear whether the deal covered steel used in derivative products such as vehicle parts, industrial components and household goods that were initially included in Trump’s announcement of the 25 per cent steel tariffs in March. “It is critical that firms get clarity on this as soon as possible as it could have a major impact on their exports to the US,” he added.
FT.com | 09/05/2025 | Online
Mixed opener to 2025 for construction product manufacturing, reports CPA
The results of the Construction Products Association’s State of Trade Survey for the first quarter of 2025 showed it was a mixed quarter for construction product manufacturers’ sales performance. Encouragingly, forward-looking indicators point to expectations of growth returning over the next 12 months as the construction recovery accelerates.
Building Merchants News | 12/05/2025 | Online
Has the government sold out on construction products regulation
Mark Wilkinson, senior technical adviser at the Construction Products Association (CPA). He says the trade body’s members have been largely pleased with the green paper’s proposals as a “short-term solution” which avoids the “horrendous” cost implications of switching to UKCA. Like Strong, he believes it may not be a final decision and that it has been made at this stage in order to give the government a “bit of extra time”. “It’s almost as if the government are saying, ‘look, we don’t know all the answers. Industry potentially do, because they’re the experts. Can you help us to provide a solution that works?’”
Building | 13/05/2025 | Online
UK adds just 65 miles of motorway in 10 years
Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, said: “Anyone who travels on the roads in the UK knows that we need improvements in both the quality of existing roads and new, additional roads to make travelling easier and quicker.”
FT | 04/05/2025 | Online
also in WDCTV.News, TransLogistics, ExBulletin, GB News (Online), Birmingham Live,
Expect surge in infrastructure activity, says RICS
The concerns over the impact of US tariffs on the construction industry mirror warnings made by the Construction Products Association (CPA) earlier this week. The CPA warned tariffs represented “a big risk” to the sector’s recovery, and that big private sector projects could stutter while investors wait to gauge the outcome and impact of global import duty hikes.
Construction News | 02/05/2025 | Online
Trump Tariffs: US could face UK retaliation
Noble Francis, economics director of the Construction Products Association, said 15 per cent of UK construction products were exported last year, with the US the second largest market
Construction News | 02/05/2025 | Print
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