Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the fall in the UK goods trade on national productivity, particularly in sectors affected by any barriers to trade resulting from Brexit.

Since leaving the EU, the Department for Business and Trade has secured free trade deals with 73 countries in addition to our EU partners, which accounted for £1.1 trillion UK trade in 2022, and simplified import tariffs to lower costs for businesses and households.

The UK’s total trade with the world (including goods and services) increased by £36bn (inflation adjusted) in 2023 compared to 2018. Productivity in the UK's Manufacturing sector grew by 10% between 2016 and 2022, the highest manufacturing productivity growth in the G7.