FPB welcomes export figures but remains cautious over the impact of Brexit
The Forum of Private Business has welcomed today’s export figures but is remaining cautious over the impact Brexit will have of Britain’s export markets.
Analysis of the 2015 data shows that whilst the United States is the largest single destination for service exports, receiving almost £21bn and making up 21 per cent of total world service exports, the EU as an overall trading bloc accounted for just below £37bn, or 37 per cent of total exports.
Ian Cass, Managing Director of the Forum, said: “After we leave the EU there could be a negative impact on these export figures.
“The Government is quite rightly talking about new trade deals around the world after Brexit, but we need to consolidate what we have as well.
“At present we feel that the Government is not doing enough to ensure small and micro businesses are informed of the exporting opportunities, and is failing to give them the practical tools to be able to take advantage of these opportunities.
“Our ‘Get Britain Trading’ campaign asks the government to support businesses across the country as we seek to make the most of Brexit. We want to make sure that all those businesses that have the opportunity to develop through exporting are doing so. “
Notes:
The ‘Get Britain Trading’ campaign has six key elements:
1. Helping to improve the performance and productivity of members
2. Re-launching the ‘Hall of Shame’ to highlight bad behaviour of UK businesses, which damage the trust and reputation of UK PLC.
3. Ethical and compliant behaviour from businesses, for which the Forum has developed an Ethical Workbook and a Compliance Handbook, both of which are being circulated to members in the coming months.
4. Creation of a Business Partner Scheme, with members registering to host Ministers, local MPs, Civil Servants and Educational Establishments to come and work within their businesses for a few hours, and gain a deeper understanding of the issues that they face on a day to day basis.
5. Provision of clear and direct feedback from members to Government with a view to ensuring all initiatives from Government are kept simple and workable.
6. Lobbying for a smooth Brexit transition and for a favourable post-Brexit business environment, across the Forum’s already issued Post Brexit Plan.
Full details of today’s service export data can be viewed here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/estimatingthevalueofserviceexportsabroadfromdifferentpartsoftheuk/2015#nuts1-service-exports-by-single-country-of-destination