The number of UK businesses exporting goods to the European Union fell 33% from 27,321 to 18,357 in the year ended December 2021, according to HMRC.
Michelle Dale, Senior Manager at national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young, says the fall is due to the extra red tape UK businesses must now comply with when exporting to the EU.
She said: “These are really worrying numbers and show the scale of the difficulties UK businesses now face in exporting their products to the EU.
“Businesses are not getting enough support from the Government to navigate the post-Brexit trading minefield. A lot of SMEs can’t afford professional advice to cope with Brexit-related red tape. Many are likely to have decided trading with the EU is not worth the cost.”
“Fewer UK companies exporting to the EU will result in lost opportunities for growth and expansion in Europe.”
