New figures published today, on the fourth anniversary of leaving
the European Union, reveal that since the start of 2022, we have
removed barriers estimated to be worth over £15 billion to UK
businesses over a five-year period.
Breaking down these barriers will help UK companies from a wide
variety of sectors do business in markets all over the world,
from selling pharmaceuticals to Colombia and pet food to India,
to exporting honey to Saudia Arabia or practicing architecture in
the United States and Switzerland.
The figures are included in a new document setting out
Britain’s post-Brexit successes, from post-pandemic economic
recovery, to a record high in services exports, ending the
supremacy of EU law, and a smarter, pro-business approach to
tackling burdensome regulation.
Business and Trade Secretary said:
“The statistics and successes contained within the pages of
‘Brexit 4th Anniversary’ tell a powerful story – of a
global Britain which is thriving on the world stage. When we left
the European Union, there were many forecasts of inevitable
decline. These have been proved false.
“My department is leveraging our post-Brexit freedoms to make the
UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. And
we’re knocking down the barriers to trade; removing roughly 500
to date. In 2023 this was equivalent to removing around £1
million of trade barriers every single hour.
“The British people’s conviction that the UK would excel as
masters of our own fate has paid dividends. My mission – and that
of my department – is to now build on these achievements. To
loudly and proudly champion free markets, free trade, and free
enterprise as the surest path to economic prosperity.”
British exporters regularly encounter obstacles of all kinds -
including bureaucracy, red tape, and bans - which stop them from
selling abroad. The Department for Business and Trade has a
global network of specialists – from Singapore to the United
States - working to get rid of them by engaging governments
around the world to find and resolve the issues.
Getting rid of these trade barriers is proven to increase exports
and support more jobs across the UK – delivering on the Prime
Minister’s pledge to grow the UK economy.
Since the start of 2020, the UK has resolved around 500 barriers
blocking British businesses from exporting abroad. Breaking down
these barriers helps UK companies to sell their goods and
services all around the world.
Examples of these global trade wins include:
- Selling new medicines and medical
devices to South Africa made easier, unlocking around £25 million
worth of exports for our pharmaceutical sector over the next five
years.
- Cutting red tape for British pharma
companies has also already led to £17m of new business secured in
Colombia.
- UK beauty companies can enjoy more access to the Chinese
market, with a barrier resolution worth £550 million to UK
businesses over five years, and helping Great British brands to
sell to hundreds of millions of consumers for the first time.
- Pork exporters can benefit from newly agreed access to the
Mexican market worth £18 million over five
years.
- UK-qualified professionals, including architects and
auditors, will not have to fully requalify to work in Switzerland
- allowing British companies to compete for more contracts,
boosting UK services exports and encouraging Swiss investment
into the UK.
Marco Forgione, Director General of the Institute of
Export & International Trade, said:
“These figures are very encouraging, and are testament to DBT’s
ongoing efforts to transform the UK’s international trade growth.
There are growing opportunities for British businesses to expand
across the world. What is essential now is that these businesses
are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to take advantage
of this potential, including the opportunities created by free
trade agreements.
“A particular focus must be on encouraging and supporting Micro,
Small and Medium sized businesses to trade internationally, as
research shows that businesses which trade cross-borders are more
sustainable, more resilient, employ more people, are more
innovative, and are more profitable. Digitalisation of trade
processes will enable even greater trade facilitations and
simplifications.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
- For further information on post-Brexit opportunities,
see:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/brexit-4th-anniversary-update
- Not all the trade barriers that have been removed can have
details made public, for reasons of commercial or diplomatic
sensitivity.
- The data on resolved barriers are extracted from the Digital
Market Access Service (DMAS). It is the internal government
database of trade barriers facing UK businesses that enables
closer collaboration across government in Whitehall and at
overseas Posts to analyse and progress action to try and resolve
them where feasible.
- DMAS is not a comprehensive repository of all market access
issues facing UK exporters, and reporting rates vary widely
across countries and regions. As such, aggregate figures should
be interpreted as an indicative estimate based on a selective
sample.
- Aggregate figures on the valuation of resolved barriers are
based on DIT analysis of specific market access barriers using
the methodologies set out in the DIT statistical publication. To
calculate the aggregate figures, the mid-point for each valuation
range is added to provide a central estimate. Further details on
the methodology for the aggregate valuation figures are published
in a DIT analytical working paper.
