Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Helen Whately and Liam Fox

Thursday 13th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Helen Whately (Faversham and Mid Kent) (Con)]

6. What progress the Government has made on implementing its export strategy.

[The Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (Dr Liam Fox)]

I would like to thank my noble Friend Baroness Fairhead for all her hard work in driving forward the launch of the Government’s export strategy, in her role as Minister for Trade and Export Promotion. We launched the Government’s export strategy on 21 August. The strategy has four pillars—encourage, inform, connect and finance. Our ambition is simple: it is for the UK to be a 21st-century exporting superpower.

[Dr Fox]

My hon. Friend, who is a very strong advocate for those sectors, makes a good point. They are strong export sectors for the UK, and the Government’s export strategy will build on their success, further encouraging and assisting companies to export. We will do so by providing more information and connections to overseas markets, supporting companies at overseas events and providing better access to export finance.

[Helen Whately]

The overall growth in the value of UK exports is strong, but the growth in the number of companies starting to export is not so strong. Will my right hon. Friend advise what he is doing to help companies start exporting for the first time?