Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Exports to the EU

Thursday 1 May 2025 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • James MacCleary questioned the seriousness of the forthcoming summit regarding the UK's relationship with the EU.
  • Clive Jones inquired about measures to reduce red tape for UK businesses exporting to the EU.
  • The Minister responded by emphasizing a data-driven approach to address the issues arising from Brexit implementation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 James MacCleary Lib Dem Lewes
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The MP highlights the UK's trade relationship with the EU, noting that it remains a critical trading partner despite Brexit.

Question

This is a moment for Britain to show that it is serious about forging a renewed and reinvigorated relationship with the EU, which is still our largest trading partner. If the forthcoming summit ends up as another in a long line of missed opportunities, there is a real danger that Brussels will just move on to other priorities. What concrete measures can businesses expect to come out of the summit to cut red tape and the barriers holding back British growth and prosperity?

Answer from The Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security (Mr Douglas Alexander)

I would be inclined to wait for the summit before declaiming it as a disaster—I think, in the trade, that is called prebuttal. However, the hon. Gentleman’s point about the seriousness of the summit is a fair one, and I recognise it. When I saw those images of the Prime Minister sitting with President Trump in the Oval Office, or indeed with President Macron or President von der Leyen of the European Commission, I felt a genuine sense of relief that we have a serious Prime Minister for these serious times. That serious Prime Minister is intent on, first, rebuilding personal relationships across Europe and, secondly, looking to identify the areas that are transparently win-win between ourselves and our friends, neighbours and partners in the European Union. I assure the hon. Gentleman that there is an ambitious agenda for the summit on the 19th.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide concrete measures or commitments to reduce barriers to trade as requested.

How: Declaiming It As A Disaster

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Q2 Clive Jones Lib Dem Wokingham
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The MP highlights the significant increase in paperwork for UK exporters since Brexit, citing statistics from Aston University.

Question

The Government need to deliver measures that will cut red tape for businesses in Wokingham and across the country who want to sell their goods to our largest trading partner, the European Union. Since Brexit, over 2 billion pieces of paperwork have been added to UK exporters—enough paper to wrap around the world nearly 15 times. Does the Minister recognise the scale of that figure? How will he ensure that Conservative-imposed red tape for business with Europe is cut down?

Answer from The Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security (Mr Douglas Alexander)

We are consciously pursuing a trade agenda based on data, not on post-imperial delusion. Regrettably, the data is pretty devastating on the damage done by how Brexit was implemented by our predecessors. If one wants to look at academic research, the latest publications from Aston University indicate that a number of small and medium-sized businesses, about which we have heard a lot today from Opposition Members, were buried under red tape. It is not only those businesses that have been buried under red tape; we have seen an increase in the number of civil servants across the United Kingdom by more than 100,000 in recent years. That is partly why the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the Cabinet Office is leading our work on rethinking the size and shape of the British state. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right in recognising that we have a responsibility to try and clean up the mess. That is what we are doing.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific measures or timelines for reducing red tape as requested.

How: Rethinking The Size And Shape Of The British State

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