Logistics UK presses government to cut Brexit trade friction after Brussels talks

Chief executive Ben Fletcher met Caroline Read, Deputy Ambassador at the UK Mission to the EU, along with senior representatives from the International Road Transport Union (IRU), BusinessEurope and the Northern Ireland Executive Office Brussels to discuss ways of improving the movement of goods between the UK and the EU.

The meetings came as Logistics UK launched a campaign calling for closer alignment with key trading partners, arguing that trade friction is continuing to hold back UK economic growth.

The business group cited new analysis by transport consultancy MDS Transmodal, which estimates that reduced alignment with major trading partners, including barriers created since Brexit, is costing the UK economy around £12bn.

The analysis also suggests UK export volumes have fallen sharply over the decade since the 2016 Brexit referendum, with exports to the EU down 15.9% and exports to the rest of the world falling 37.2% by volume.

Following his meeting with Read, Fletcher said the EU remained the UK’s largest export market for goods and that reducing friction at the border should remain a priority.

He said discussions covered a range of issues affecting logistics operators, including sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks, the 90/180-day rule affecting drivers and other workers operating in the EU, and greater use of digital customs and export documentation.

Fletcher said: “The logistics industry is at the heart of facilitating billions of pounds of UK-EU trade.

“By fixing the friction surrounding existing trade, £12bn could be channelled into the economy, driving growth and raising living standards. Removing Brexit red tape with our closest trading partner would be a great start.”

Read said reducing barriers to trade with the EU remained a government priority.

“The EU is our closest partner and biggest market, and reducing friction in the way goods move between us is firmly in our national interest,” she said.

“The Government and UK Mission to the EU are getting on with delivering the agreements struck at last year’s summit to cut costs for business, support jobs and make our trading relationship work better.”

During his visit, Fletcher also held meetings with Raluca Marian, head of the IRU’s EU delegation, Luisa Santos, deputy director general of BusinessEurope, and Aodhán Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Executive Office Brussels.

Logistics UK said it would continue to press both the UK Government and the EU to reduce non-tariff barriers ahead of the next UK-EU summit.