The UK’s goods trade is lagging far behind the rest of the G7, while services are booming.
Canada said no trade talks are in progress - despite Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch "explicitly" telling MPs discussions "have not broken down".
Businesses that make sporting goods, children’s toys, jewellery and medical goods have struggled the most with the border costs imposed by the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
Liars of the year: Our rundown of the terrible pork pies that disgraced and degraded public life in 2023
20/12/2023
After holding off some formidable competition, Michelle Mone has claimed the coveted title of The New European’s Liar of the Year for 2023.
The year in Brexit
20/12/2023
The past 12 months have been littered with grandiose claims about the benefits of Brexit and the ability of the UK to demand what it wants from the EU. But the sad and inescapable conclusion is that none of those benefits exist and that the UK has been forced into a number of embarrassing retreats and compromises.
Many UK cheese makers could face 245% duty from 1 January, making exporting unaffordable. / A priceless opportunity to sell “more affordable high-quality cheese to Canada” was one of those many Brexit boons that Boris Johnson championed with his customary blather as prime minister.
he OBR pours cold water on hopes for a big boost from the Pacific trade deal. / Have you ever wondered how the UK, based firmly in the north Atlantic, managed to join the free trade area known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)? After all, as the name suggests, it is for countries around the Pacific.
Flagship post-Brexit trade deal worth even less than ministers claimed, official estimates show
25/11/2023
The Independent revealed earlier this year government’s predicted 0.08% boost risked being an overestimate. / Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch was mocked for a prediction the deal with Asia-Pacific countries would grow the economy by 0.08%.
Trade Secretary celebrates fall in UK trade
06/11/2023
Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is facing criticism after citing the UK's poor trading performance under her watch as evidence that Brexit has not had a negative impact on UK trade.
‘Covid is not the problem – Brexit is the problem’, says British Beauty Council boss on sales slump.
Kemi Badenoch is wasting everyone’s time and money with this ludicrous survey on post-Brexit trade deals
21/08/2023
The government’s gaslighting goes on in a desperate search for good news. / I must admit that I had no idea that the British government was wasting its money this way, but apparently it is now into its sixth survey of public attitudes to Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has written to Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch urging her to reach an agreement with Brussels. / Time is running out to strike a deal with Brussels over post-Brexit rules which could hamper British car exports, Labour warns today.
Brussels’ former Brexit chief urges collaboration on shared challenges and reflects on tumultuous talks.
Adoption of Britain-only rival to EU’s CE designation postponed ‘indefinitely’, say ministers.
Top trade experts say conditions for hidden benefits claimed by Kemi Badenoch are ‘highly unlikely’.
Malaysia stands to gain from free palm oil exports but few other benefits seen. / "The impact appears mainly cosmetic, for the U.K. to show it made a trade deal after Brexit." / "No one in Asia is taking the pact very seriously."
Tokyo is the biggest winner of the UK’s accession to the CPTPP.
Britain and the EU are holding negotiations over the issue but Brussels is expected to maintain a hardline until the autumn.
Rishi Sunak has smothered the “Brexit bonfire” of EU laws – and hard-line Brexiteers are fuming with rage. But the prime minister smartly refused to be the face of this u-turn, putting business secretary Kemi Badenoch on the front stage herself.
Badenoch slammed for ignoring Brexit realities and telling UK firms global trade ‘isn’t too tough’
20/06/2023
Kemi Badenoch has been criticised by business groups for trying to “shift the blame” after she told British businesses that international trade “isn’t too tough”.
The business secretary has defended a government climbdown on its plan to get rid of EU-era laws copied over after Brexit.
Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has written a letter to the government urging ministers raising his concerns over the 'mess' of a trade deal.
Ministers were warned of the dangers of the EU trade deadline two years ago. Now, up to 200,000 jobs and £11bn worth of UK car exports could be in jeopardy.
A CERTAIN dreary and dismal familiarity has developed around the Tories’ desperate efforts to secure trade deals with countries outwith the European Union, having decided to turn their back on the UK’s biggest export market.
There were sighs of relief in many quarters when it was announced that the British government was not going ahead with plans for a wholesale bonfire of EU regulation.