Financial Times: Liam Fox plans to increase UK export target after Brexit

21 August 2018

Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, has launched a plan to increase Britain’s exports from 30% to 35% of gross domestic product but did not specify a timeframe or to commit new funds.

[...]

New measures include placing more information online and announcing when ministers are to travel overseas, giving companies the chance to piggyback on their visits.

The government will also look to introduce new types of loans via UK Export Finance (UKEF), which has committed only £22bn of its £50bn headroom.

The Federation of Small Business welcomed the 35 per cent target but said it was “concerning to see a lack of definitive, detailed interventions set out in the strategy”.

Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI business group, called the plan “a timely signal that the government is committed to improving the United Kingdom’s international competitiveness”. She said that businesses had been “let down” by how previous strategies were implemented.

Mr Fox admitted Britain had not yet secured agreement from all the countries it has trade deals with to maintain preferential access after Brexit. “It’s a continuing process — they want to know what the Brexit deal looks like,” he said. [...]

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