More than half of British businesses are struggling to expand their sales in Europe, with trade frictions worsening despite the UK-EU trade deal, according to new research from the British Chambers of Commerce.
A survey by the BCC found that 54 per cent of exporters believe the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) has failed to help them increase sales in the UK’s largest overseas market, a rise of 13 percentage points compared with last year. The findings underline growing concern that Brexit-related barriers are becoming more restrictive rather than easing over time.
The results come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pursues a much-trailed “reset” of the UK’s trading relationship with Brussels. However, business groups are warning that progress has been too slow and that unresolved red tape continues to weigh heavily on exporters.
Only 16 per cent of businesses surveyed said the EU deal had helped them grow sales, while almost none felt government support in navigating post-Brexit trade rules had been comprehensive. The BCC polled 989 firms, of which 96 per cent were small and medium-sized enterprises.
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