Thank you for contacting me about Government support for British exporters.
The benefits of exporting, both for individual businesses and the UK economy, are substantial. Exporting creates higher-skilled, higher-paid jobs, and it raises the average profitability, productivity and tax contributions of companies that do it.
In November 2021, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) published an ambitious new export strategy – 'Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ – to help businesses across the UK double exports and sell their world-class products around the globe. UK exports are due to hit the £1 trillion per year mark by the mid-2030s but this strategy aims to get us there before then.
The 12-point export strategy aims to provide businesses with all the tools and support they need to reap the maximum benefit from our independent trade policy and new trade deals. The Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, and Federation of Small Businesses have all welcomed DBT's refreshed strategy, which is fully aligned with the Government's respective levelling-up, net zero and foreign policy agendas.
The strategy includes a new end-to-end Export Support Service for UK exporters to Europe; new Trade and Investment offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and a new DBT HQ in Darlington; an expansion of UK Export Finance, the UK's world-class export credit agency; an expansion of the UK Export Academy to offer SMEs in all parts of the UK technical advice on how to find new opportunities in overseas markets; and more. This complements the ambitions set out in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' 'Food Strategy', including how HM Government will deliver on the growing demand for our high-quality UK produce across the world and broaden the range and scale of our exports.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
