EXCLUSIVE: UK exports to EU are up 26.6% since the Referendum

Despite Covid and ‘despite Brexit’, the UK’s exporters are steaming ahead

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2022

A Facts4EU.Org analysis of the true picture of the UK’s export performance since voting ‘Leave’

Facts4EU.Org has reviewed the latest trade figures for the United Kingdom from the Office for National Statistics. In this report for CIBUK.Org we compare the 2021 totals with the pre-Referendum year of 2015.

We also review the latest Q1 2022 figures with the same period in 2016, just before we voted to leave the European Union.

With the unremitting flow of negativity from the BBC and others, readers would be forgiven for thinking that exports from Brexit Britain to the EU have fallen. In fact the opposite is true, as we show below.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Total exports of goods and services to the EU

Whole year numbers - 2021 compared with 2015, the pre-Referendum year

2015 : £ 223.3bn
2021 : £ 261.7bn – an increase of 17.2%

[Source: Latest ONS official data, UK total trade, seasonally adjusted, released Wed 27 July 2022.]

Without the Covid-19 effect, the increase would have been even higher

In 2021, much of the EU and the rest of the world was being affected by lockdowns and a general decrease in commercial activity. In order to get some indication of the effect of Covid-19 on exports, Facts4EU.Org looked at the drop in 2021 from the last pre-Covid year, which was 2019.

To take out any idea of a ‘Brexit effect’ on exports to the EU, we analysed the UK’s exports to the rest of the world. Total exports of goods and services from the UK to non-EU countries fell by 10.5% over the Covid years.

In other words, without Covid-19 we could have expected the UK’s exports to the EU to have been around 10% higher than our ‘red box summary’ above shows.

Let’s bring things up to date – how did Brexit Britain do in the latest results for Q1 2022?

Next we look at the ONS results for Q1 (Jan-Mar 2022), released yesterday. In this case we can review the quarterly data and compare Q1 2022 with the same quarter in 2016 – just before the UK’s EU Referendum.

And the news gets even better.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Total exports of goods and services to the EU

Q1 2022 versus Q1 2016

Q1 2016 : £56.9bn
Q1 2022 : £72.0bn – an increase of 26.6%

[Source: Latest ONS official data, UK total trade, seasonally adjusted, released Wed 27 July 2022.]

The fastest-growing economy in the G7

In 2021 the UK was the fastest-growing economy in the G7 – something not mentioned enough.

“For 2021 as a whole, UK GDP growth was 7.4%. This was the highest in the G7.”
- House of Commons Library report, 07 July 2022

The UK also out-grew the EU27 in the first quarter of this year, according to the official figures.

Observations

BBC, will you please stop being so negative about our country?

Yesterday the BBC seemed to take pleasure in reporting that the OECD are now forecasting the UK will be the slowest-growing economy in the G7 in 2023.

We would point out to the Beeb that the Paris-based OECD’s record of economic forecasting is as bad as that of the UK’s ‘Office for Budget Responsibility’, set up by arch-Remainer and former Chancellor George Osborne.

Prominent commentators in Germany are now predicting a recession in their country – the largest economy in the EU. We have yet to see this on the BBC.

Facts4EU.Org is proud to publish good news about Brexit Britain

It’s easy to look at the negatives. “Bad news sells,” as they say in what used to be called Fleet Street.

In our report above, produced for our affiliated organisation CIBUK.Org, we have presented positive news. Total exports to the EU were up 17% last year, compared to the pre-Referendum year. In the last quarter they were up by almost 27%, compared to the same quarter in 2016.

Given the falls in trade across the world as a result of Covid-19, this is an impressive achievement from Brexit Britain. Yes, we’re facing difficult economic times but then so is the EU and so are a great many other countries around the world.

If you value our work in producing unique news, researched from official sources, please give us a helping hand today. We need you.

Facts4EU.Org needs you today

We are a 'not for profit' team (we make a loss) and any donation goes towards the actual work, not plush London offices, lunch or taxi expenses, or other luxuries of some organisations.

We badly need more of our thousands of readers to donate. Could this be you, today? Maybe you've been thinking about it, but just haven't got around to doing it? If so, let us reassure you. It's quick and easy and we use two highly secure payment providers. And we do NOT ask you for further donations if you donate once - we just hope that you keep supporting us. Your donation stays anonymous unless you tell us otherwise.

Please don't assume that other people will keep us going - we don't receive enough to survive and we need your help today. Could you help us?

Most of our readers are well-informed and appreciate our fact-based articles, presented in a way you won't see anywhere else. If you value reports like the one above, please help our work with a donation. We have far more to do in researching, publishing, campaigning and lobbying Parliament than we have in terms of the financial resources to fulfil these tasks. We badly need funding to continue - we rely 100% on public donations from readers like you.

If you believe in a fully-free, independent, and sovereign United Kingdom, please make a donation now. It’s quick, secure, and confidential, and you can use one of the links below or you can use our Donations page here. You will receive a personal, friendly ‘thank you’ from a member of our team within 24 hours. Thank you for reading this.

[ Sources: Office for National Statistics ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Thurs 28 July 2022

Click here to go to our news headlines

Please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.
And don't forget to actually post your message after you have previewed it!

Something to say about this? Scroll down for reader comments

Since before the EU Referendum, Brexit Facts4EU.Org
has been the most prolific researcher and publisher of Brexit facts in the world.

Supported by MPs, MEPs, & other groups, our work has impact.

We think facts matter. Please donate today, so that we can continue to ensure a clean Brexit is finally delivered.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT : You can write your comment under any existing comments below. After you have clicked to preview your comment, you MUST then click on the CAPTCHA system and send you comment, for it to be published. Thank you!

Reader Comments 6

1. John Albrighton , Thursday, July 28, 2022, 07:33:

It's good to know despite project fear the EU hasn't disappeared as a tradeing partner

2. Keith from Leeds , Thursday, July 28, 2022, 11:19:

I am a long term reader of your excellent reports & very annoyed that our MSM does not use them. But this time I have to ask about the numbers. What % of the increase is due to increased prices over the years from 2015 to 2021, or from Q1, 2016 to Q1, 2022. As a leave voter in both 1975 & 2016 I have no doubt that the UK will succeed in the long term. In say, ten years time, people will ask why we did not leave much earlier. So the UK will increase its exports both to the EU & the rest of the world as the years go by, but we need to adjust for price inflation to compare like with like.
But all credit to your team for the hard work over many years to produce accurate information, when the MSM seem to be both lazy & dedicated to groupthink, Brexit is bad, the EU is good. My main concern at the moment, as with most people, is the impact the energy crisis will have on the EU, since we need them to prosper as a market for our exports. I also hope the new PM, whichever one it is, will accelerate the Brexit freedoms we now have & not allow our civil service to frustrate them.

3. Ian Humphreys , Thursday, July 28, 2022, 13:53:

To answer Keith from Leeds (amd shame on you for not doing such an easy look-up yourself). The annual inflation figures from 2015 to 2021 inclusive, compounded was 11.8% so there was a REAL WORLD increase of over 5%. From Q1 2016 to Q1 2022 the compounded inflation was 16.75%, so the REAL WORLD increase between those dates is about 11%.

4. Jim Worthington Transport , Thursday, July 28, 2022, 18:33:

It’s a pity the media don’t publish this. All they are interested in is trying to convince us to rejoin…

5. g L , Sunday, July 31, 2022, 14:09:

What a load of made up bollix.

6. Helen , Monday, August 01, 2022, 05:35:

g L, what an intelligent argument you made, I'm quite convinced! I'm just going through all your points to take it all in.

Add comment:

Please note: Your email address is never published unless you choose to enter it.