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Sir Keir Starmer will on Thursday launch a brand new commerce technique centered on boosting UK companies exports, whereas strengthening anti-dumping defences to guard Britain from the fallout from Donald Trump’s international tariff battle.
Commerce minister Douglas Alexander mentioned Starmer would set out a coverage primarily based on hard-headed “pragmatic patriotism”, embracing free commerce and searching for to construct markets the world over, together with China and the Gulf.
“Our strategic response to this new world can’t be primarily based on nostalgia or publish imperial delusion, not to mention any ideological or dogmatic attachment to 1 buying and selling bloc or one other,” Alexander advised the Monetary Instances.
Talking forward of the launch, he mentioned the commerce technique would give attention to breaking down “behind the border” regulatory boundaries to spice up exports by Britain’s dominant companies sector, value about £500bn a yr.
The technique will try to handle the UK’s dismal commerce efficiency since Brexit, which has seen a pointy decline in items exports that has solely been partially offset by sturdy progress in companies.
Actual-terms UK commerce volumes have grown by simply 1 per cent since 2019, whereas each the EU and G7 have loved an 8 per cent progress, the Centre for European Reform mentioned final month.
Alexander mentioned a brand new “Ricardo fund” — named after the free commerce economist — value “tens of hundreds of thousands of kilos” would assist UK regulators and abroad groups determine and sort out boundaries to companies commerce.
“In a time of tariffs, international companies commerce is booming,” he mentioned. “This commerce technique recognises it as an indispensable component of the UK’s modern export earnings.”
Alexander mentioned the technique would additionally toughen Britain’s commerce defences to cease it changing into the sufferer of dumping and unfair commerce practices in an “more and more protectionist world”.
The UK is presently the one nation to strike a cope with Trump to keep away from the worst of his tariffs. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless waiting for spillover results of US-China commerce tensions which have seen Chinese language exports to America drop by 34.5 per cent in Could, in keeping with customs information.
“We’ll promote what we will and defend what we should,” he mentioned. “We’ll increase and sharpen our vary of commerce defence instruments in our toolbox to have the ability to reply to unfair competitors.”
Alexander mentioned the technique would additionally intention to get small and mid-sized companies exporting extra, particularly to Europe, and to assist them navigate post-Brexit pink tape.
Shevaun Haviland, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, welcomed the technique, saying: “We now have been banging the drum on commerce technique for the previous 4 years and now it’s in style. Solely 10 per cent of UK companies export, and that isn’t sufficient.”
Alexander mentioned the commerce coverage would look to construct on the EU-UK deal signed final month, which started eradicating some Brexit obstacles to commerce, notably in foodstuffs and animal merchandise and power markets.
Nonetheless, authorities estimates are that the bundle would create a GDP uplift of simply 0.3 per cent in 2040 — a tiny fraction of the 4 per cent long-run hit to GDP from Brexit estimated by the Workplace for Funds Duty.
“I might argue the settlement on Could 19 was not a single standout occasion however the begin of a means of annual UK-EU summits,” Alexander mentioned. “We’ll maintain speaking, maintain working and maintain searching for alternatives for British enterprise.”
The “hard-headed” strategy to commerce would additionally imply persevering with to construct industrial ties with China. He insisted that Washington didn’t have a veto over UK coverage, regardless of the US linking its commerce cope with Britain to nearer scrutiny of China’s function in provide chains.
“We stay and can stay a sovereign actor on commerce coverage,” he mentioned. “We take critically our accountability on points like funding safety and financial safety however these choices shall be taken in London.”
In the meantime, Alexander’s workforce is within the late phases of negotiating what they hope shall be a free commerce settlement with the six international locations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC.
Unions have expressed issues the deal won’t tackle employees’ rights points within the area, however Alexander insisted the UK was attempting. “We’re searching for legally binding chapters within the FTA with the GCC on environmental requirements and on labour requirements.
“You’ll be able to’t tackle the whole lot in commerce offers but it surely’s vital that you’ve got that strategy mirrored in your negotiations.”
The Labour authorities can also be searching for commerce agreements with Switzerland and South Korea. Whereas FTA’s had a job, Alexander confused that “we will’t afford to be a one membership golfer.”
The brand new commerce technique would goal extra narrowly centered digital commerce agreements, and offers for the mutual recognition {of professional} {qualifications}.
Requested whether or not the commerce technique marked a technocratic shift from the “buccaneering” strategy advocated by Boris Johnson after Brexit, Alexander mentioned: “I need to devise a commerce technique primarily based on information and never post-imperial delusion.”
