Brexit deal impact in UK is worsening, warn economists

Brexit reddish portion connected British businesses has caused UK-EU goods commercialized to slump and the occupation is getting worse, economists person warned.

The findings from a study by Birmingham-based Aston University Business School screen the three-year play aft the Brexit commercialized woody was signed successful 2020.

The worth of UK goods exports to the EU sank 27% and imported goods by 32%, according to the report, compared with what it predicts would person happened without Brexit.

However, tobacco, railway, and craft goods exports person increased.

The assortment of commercialized export goods has dropped, with 1,645 less types of British products exported to each EU country.

The study does not see the work sector, which has performed amended than galore experts had expected since Brexit.

The authors said determination was a "noticeable worsening of EU-UK commercialized successful 2023".

"The antagonistic impacts of the [trade agreement] person intensified implicit time, with 2023 showing much pronounced commercialized declines than erstwhile years," the authors added.

Farmers, covering makers, and wood and insubstantial manufacturers person been among the hardest deed industries, with galore sub-sectors' EU export worth falling by well-over half.

The biggest driblet successful export worth was for edible effect and nuts, which nosedived 73.5%.

Trade with smaller and much distant countries successful the EU has been affected the most, portion commercialized with larger and person countries has been affected the least.

The authors said galore smaller British producers had fixed up connected exporting tiny amounts to immoderate EU nations since the instauration of galore forms of post-Brexit commercialized reddish portion oregon non-tariff barriers.

Jun Du, 1 of the authors of the research, said accrued rules and regulations, specified arsenic information checks and labeling requirements, had contributed to the fall.

"While these measures bash support consumers, contention and the environment, they besides progressively bring difficulties and costs for traders," she told the BBC's Today programme.

Mary Quicke of Quicke's Cheeses successful Devon told the BBC that she recovered it "really, truly hard to woody with each the regulatory burdens".

She said that she utilized to proviso 4 customers straight successful the EU but "we had to springiness them distant to idiosyncratic else".

"We conscionable don't person the radical to bash the paperwork.”

A authorities spokesperson said it volition "work to amended our commercialized and concern narration with the EU and teardrop down unnecessary commercialized barriers, portion recognising that determination volition beryllium nary instrumentality to the azygous market, customs national oregon state of movement".

The BBC understands that successful caller meetings with government, concern representatives were invited to lend aboriginal ideas connected “resetting” the commercialized narration with the EU, with a absorption connected “economic security”.

Progress is improbable until adjacent year, erstwhile the caller European Commission is firmly established, and the UK has itself completed caller concern and commercialized strategies.