Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Exports to the EU

Thursday 29 June 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The value of UK exports to the EU was 247 billion in 2016, 298 billion in 2019, and 340 billion in 2022.
  • UK's total exports were 815 billion in 2022, up 21% in current prices and up 0.5% once adjusted for inflation.
  • UK is leading a Government effort to remove 100 market access barriers, including those in Europe, worth more than 20 billion.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Philip Hollobone Con
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The MP is requesting detailed export figures to assess the UK's relationship with the EU. These numbers are critical for evaluating the economic consequences of Brexit.

Question

What was the value of exports to the EU in (a) 2016, (b) 2019 and (c) the last year for which data is available?

Answer from Kevin Hollinrake

The value of UK exports, measured in current prices, to the EU—including goods and services—was £247 billion in 2016, £298 billion in 2019, and £340 billion in 2022. The EU remains the UK's largest export market, receiving 42% of UK exports in 2022.

Answered
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Q2 Philip Hollobone Con
Brexit
Context

The MP is challenging the notion that leaving the EU has negatively impacted UK economic performance, citing current high employment levels and strong export figures.

Question

That is all very interesting, because during the Brexit referendum, “Project Fear” told us that if we left the EU, millions of people would lose their jobs, our exports would collapse, and the economy would go into freefall. Here in 2023, with us outside the European Union, employment is at record highs and unemployment at record lows, the eurozone is in recession and we are not, and our exports to the EU are at record levels. Is it not now demonstrably true that we are always going to be better off out?

Answer from Kevin Hollinrake

The UK's total exports have recovered to pre-pandemic levels measured against 2018. In 2022 UK exports were £815 billion, up 21% in current prices and up 0.5% once adjusted for inflation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner asked if being outside the EU benefits economically but received only general export figures without a direct acknowledgment of economic benefits.

How: Referenced Churchill'S Quote To Deflect From Economic Performance, Did Not Directly Answer About Economic Benefit

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Q3 Seema Malhotra Labour (Co-op) Feltham and Heston
Economy Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The MP is raising concerns about the negative impact of Brexit on UK businesses, particularly SMEs, citing specific examples such as increased product delivery times to Germany.

Question

Last month it was not inflation that halved but exports of fruit to the EU. The British Chambers of Commerce has reported more small and medium-sized enterprises are seeing exports falling than rising; Britain has lowest export rates in G7. When a business tells me it used to take three days for products to reach shelves in Germany and now takes 30, is it not fair to conclude that government failed on the economy, no plan to make Brexit work and businesses pay price?

Answer from Kevin Hollinrake

In my conversations this week at the OECD conference on SMEs, nations around the world were crying out to do business with the UK. We are leading a whole-of-Government effort to remove 100 market access barriers, including those arising in Europe, worth more than £20 billion.

Not addressed: The questioner asked about government failure on the economy but received information unrelated to acknowledging economic failings or addressing specific concerns raised.

How: Changed Subject To Global Business Interest In Uk, Did Not Directly Address Export Issues Faced By Smes

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