25 years of terminal decline in the EU’s importance as a UK export market

Revealed — how the rest of the world loves UK PLC — latest official figures

Remember Remainers saying “50% of UK exports go to the EU”? Not true then, even less true now

On Friday the UK’s Office for National Statistics published its latest figures for UK exports — to the EU and to the rest of the world. Today Brexit UK reveals how for the last 25 years the EU has been declining in importance as an export market for UK companies selling goods and services.

In two simple, ‘at a glance’ charts, I show just how false were the claims of the Remainers before the EU Referendum. The importance of the EU as an export market for British companies had been falling for 25 years and since the Referendum it has fallen further still.

Meanwhile, UK exports of goods and services to the rest of the world are growing fast.

The UK’s impressive export performance — “despite Brexit”

25 years of the decline in the importance of the EU market for British companies

• Exports to the EU in 1998: 54.2% of total
• Exports to EU in 2022: 41.7% of total
• Exports to non-EU have risen to 58.3% of the total

[Source: Office for National Statistics, 28 Apr 2023.]

The Rt Hon David Jones MP, former Brexit Minister,
commented exclusively on THE report

“This excellent analysis confirms what Brexit supporters have long contended: that the EU is a declining market for British goods and services and that we need to return to our traditional global trading patterns.

“Our new free trade agreements and accession to the CPTPP will increase our non-EU trade over the coming years. But there is still more we can do to enhance it.

“For too long we have been held back by anti-competitive EU regulation. The Retained EU Law Bill must be enacted as quickly as possible. Ridding our statute book of EU law will make the UK a much more attractive economy, boost bilateral international trade and increase our national prosperity.”

- The Rt Hon David Jones MP, Sun 30 Apr 2023

Export sales to the rest of the (non-EU) world, goods and services, 1998–2022

• Exports to non-EU in 1998: £111.9bn
• Exports to non-EU in 2022: £475.1bn

[Source: Office for National Statistics, 28 Apr 2023.]

How Brexit Britain’s exports are soaring

Despite all the doom-mongers, the official UK figures show a tremendous performance by our exporters.

Last year, Brexit Britain’s exports of goods and services to the rest of the (non-EU) world soared by 24.8%.

The report above is revealing. Remainer-Rejoiners really should read it. What I have presented is a simple analysis of the cold, hard facts about the United Kingdom’s international trade in goods and services over the last 25 years. I accessed the data from the official source — the Office for National Statistics.

Remainer-Rejoiners are still trying to use discredited ‘forecasts’ from the OBR, IMF, OECD, etc. But it’s the facts that matter.

Brexit was never about economics. It was about sovereignty — something the Establishment never understood. Nevertheless, the economic facts blow the Remainer-Rejoiners’ claims out of the water.

The EU’s importance as a market for the UK’s goods and services has been diving for years. Conversely, the rest of the world is showing itself eager to buy from the United Kingdom — particularly so, now that we are no longer prevented by the EU Commission from making improved trading arrangements that suit the UK.

These are the basic facts and they simply cannot be denied. Given that the Remainer-Rejoiners’ arguments were almost all based on economics, what on earth can they come up with next?

Scrapping retained EU laws and going for growth

The irony in all of this is that we have barely begun to take advantage of our new-found freedoms — thanks mostly to Theresa May’s Remainer Parliament which we had to endure for years after the Referendum, doing its best to overturn the democratic decision of the British people.

It is now essential to support MPs who genuinely believe in the opportunities which Brexit presents. The fact that we haven’t yet taken advantage of all our new freedoms is nothing to do with Brexit itself. It is all to do with the Remainer civil service and with Remainer politicians whose heart simply isn’t in it.

I agree with David Jones when he said: “For too long we have been held back by anti-competitive EU regulation. The Retained EU Law Bill must be enacted as quickly as possible. Ridding our statute book of EU law will make the UK a much more attractive economy, boost bilateral international trade, and increase our national prosperity.”

The great British public needs to get behind all MPs who are trying hard to deliver on what we voted for in 2016. The United Kingdom is doing well by international comparisons and is doing many times better than the Establishment said we would if we voted to leave the EU.

Now we just have to forge ahead much faster.

Sources: Office for National Statistics