London, UK: Business minister Kevin Hollinrake has admitted that there was “no doubt” that it is now more difficult to trade with the EU.
Speaking on Radio Four’s Today programme this morning, Hollinrake said: “There’s no doubt, for some businesses, it is more difficult to trade with the European Union. There is no doubt that is the case.
“For some businesses, particularly in the food and drink sector, particularly SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), they’re finding it more difficult to trade with the European Union. That’s the reality.
“But we have sought to ease those frictions of course, we want to ease them further.”
“Yes it is more difficult today, but the vote for Brexit was a vote for change. We have to try and ease those frictions.”
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “Of course when you leave the Single Market and the Customs Union that is going to change our trading relationships.”
He added: “But we have the most deepest, bilateral free trade agreement with the European continent that any nation has anywhere around the world.”
Director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland, has urged the next government to stop treading on eggshells around trade with the EU if it wants to grow the UK economy.
In a speech to the BCC’s Global Annual Conference 2024, Haviland said: “I’m not here to look backwards, I’m here to help build a better future for our business leaders and entrepreneurs. We must stop walking on eggshells and start saying it how it is. The current plan isn’t working for our members.
“The EU is the UK’s largest market, accounting for 42% of all our exports. Leaving the EU has made it more expensive and bureaucratic to sell our goods and services across the Channel. But better trading terms are possible if the UK government and the EU reach agreement in areas of mutual benefit for business on both sides.”
Photo: Christoph Scholz: https://flic.kr/p/2dXaf4Y
