There are no true tarantulas native to the UK, but the UK is home to the purse-web spider (Atypus affinis), a rare spider closely related to tarantulas and trapdoor spiders. It belongs to the same family as tropical tarantulas and shares some of their characteristics but is much smaller and less hairy. The purse-web spider lives mostly inside a silk tube or "purseweb" on or underground, mainly in sunny, well-drained habitats in southeastern parts of Britain and some scattered northern locations. It is not dangerous to humans despite having venom like tarantulas. It has distinctive large, dagger-like jaws that operate differently compared to other British spiders. This spider is sometimes referred to as "Britain's tarantula" due to its relation to true tarantulas.

Tarantulas as popular exotic pets can be legally kept in the UK and are available for purchase, but the only wild native species resembling them is the purse-web spider, not the large, hairy tarantulas common in warmer regions of the world.