EXCL: Only 1.9% of all UK businesses export goods to EU, according to HMRC report

Why is Sir Keir imposing full range of costly EU laws and regulations on 98.1% of all UK business?

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2026

Govt’s ‘EU Re-Set’ is “down to ideology, not nation’s interests,” says Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade

Last week, HMRC released its data for the number of businesses importing and exporting goods in 2025. This has been analysed by the Brexit Facts4EU think-tank, with assistance from their colleagues in allied organisations, and the conclusions have been shared exclusively with GB News.

The outputs of this research are startling. They prompt many questions of the Government and of its insistence on ever-closer, dynamic alignment with the EU’s Single Market. The questions become even more difficult for some of those in the Cabinet who have been calling for additional alignment with the EU’s Customs Union.

Commenting exclusively to Facts4EU and GB News, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Andrew Griffith MP, had plenty to say about this report. Here is how he started:

“This is about a Prime Minister who cannot accept the result of the 2016 referendum and is determined to give us the worst of all worlds as a rule taker with no voice at the table.
“It's about ideology, not the national interest or supporting British businesses.”
- Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, 23 Apr 2026

Given the ‘EU Re-Set’ is mostly about easing trade with the EU, what % of all UK businesses export to the EU?

Exporters to the EU as a % of all UK businesses of any size

40%? 25%? 15%?
No, the answer is less than 2%.
1.9% of all UK businesses were exporting goods to the EU in 2025, according to HMRC.

What does this mean for the others?

More than 98% of all UK businesses do NOT export goods to the EU
98% of all UK businesses aren’t affected by additional paperwork the EU Commission places on goods exports from the UK
Yet 100% of all UK businesses will have extra costs and rules imposed, due to the Government’s ‘EU Re-Set’

The Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Andrew Griffith MP, commented further to Facts4EU and GB News:

“These figures blow the Government's strategy out of the water.
“Just 2% of British businesses export goods to the EU, yet Keir Starmer wants to shackle the other 98% of domestic businesses to Brussels' bureaucratic rulebook.
“With no vote, no voice, and no way out.”
- Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, 23 Apr 2026

But hang on, surely some businesses don’t actually employ anyone, so they don’t really count?

It’s fairly well known that there are many, very small businesses in the UK. If we were to exclude these from the grand total of 5.7 million, surely the percentage of businesses of that smaller total who are exporting to the EU - and who actually employ people - would be much higher?

The answer is that it’s higher, naturally, but hardly impressive. The percentage is 7.6%.

Yes, fewer than 8% of all UK business employers export goods to the EU. 92% of businesses who employ people sell nothing to EU27 countries.

Exporters to the EU as a % of UK businesses which are employers

To be a full-time, effective voice in opposition to what's happening to our country,
it costs around £15,000 per month.
We receive far, far less than that and really need more readers to step up
Please donate today so we can recruit more staff and make even more of a difference.

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

Don't leave this to someone else. You are that 'someone else'.

Given the ‘EU Re-Set’ is mostly about the economy and businesses, how many actual businesses are involved?

This would seem to be a legitimate question, with Sir Keir Starmer and his colleagues talking constantly about how Brexit has made life almost impossible for UK businesses. Thus far we have spoken of percentages. Now we look at numbers.

The Government seems to base its impressions of business views mostly on the conversations they have had with Big Business and organisations such as the CBI, the National Farmers Union, and others, who mostly represent a section of the larger, privileged business community.

Below we present this information in numerical, rather than percentage terms.

Exporters to the EU – Number of all businesses

Clearly, that’s a total of only 108,136 businesses out of all 5,690,265 businesses across the UK, who are involved in exporting goods to the EU.

With so few UK businesses involved in exporting to the EU, we asked Andrew Griffiths MP for his thoughts once again

In addition to being Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, he was formerly Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports, and Economic Secretary to the Treasury. It would be fair to say he understands a thing or two about this area

In addition, Griffiths is that rare commodity in the Commons – an MP who has considerable business experience in his own right before entering Parliament.

“This is the tail wagging the dog. No one says to the Canadian Parliament that they have to adopt domestically rules set by the US Congress just because they are a neighbouring export market.
“Two-tier Keir really doesn’t get how trade works.”
- Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, 23 Apr 2026

Finally, what is the direction of travel?

It is reasonably well-known that the UK has increasingly been trading with the rest of the World, and less and less with the EU, over many decades. The latest figures from the HMRC’s report last week confirmed this trend.

In all the figures above, we have focused on exports, as this is the alleged problem the Labour Government has been supposedly addressing in its ‘EU Re-Set’. This has been one of its major justifications for the entire Re-Set, as the Government’s No.1 priority is economic growth and it sees export sales as being a key part of this.

Below, we broaden the horizon to include both imports and exports

Of the 362,992 businesses importing or exporting goods during 2025:

106,620 of businesses were moving goods to or from EU countries only
This decreased by 2,343 or 2%

144,381 of businesses were moving goods to or from non-EU countries only
This increased by 12,233 or 9%

The Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Andrew Griffith MP, gave Brexit Facts4EU and the People’s Channel his final thoughts:

“I spent 25 years building businesses; this Government has spent the last year taxing them, regulating them and now signing our sovereignty away to unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.
Labour's 'EU Reset' is a Trojan Horse surrender of powers that rightly belong with Parliament - just as they do in the way other sovereign countries do.
“The Conservatives will oppose it at every turn.”
- Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, 23 Apr 2026

All of this information has been extracted by the Brexit Facts4EU think-tank from HMRC’s latest report, published last Thursday, 16 April 2026, with additional information from HMRC’s summer report on the composition of the UK business community.

The HMRC import and export report itself is based on the information they collect from all businesses making a customs declaration and it covers goods moved between Great Britain (GB) and the European Union (EU), and between the United Kingdom (UK) and countries outside the EU.

Observations

As the Government accelerates its 'EU Re-Set' legislation, it is more important than ever to expose this for what it is: an ideological obsession to rejoin the EU, no matter what cast-iron facts may prove this is not in the interests of the country.

In our report today we have demonstrated that the impact of the EU's obstructionist activities against the UK's exporters is confined to a small number of businesses, compared to the economy as a whole. And yet the Government are determined to inflict the pain of the 'Re-Set' on the entire business community.

Once again we are very pleased that GB News has seen the importance of this report and has given it prominent coverage already this morning. The general public must be made aware of the deception being carried out by this Government on its people. Week after week we are producing definitive and authoritative reports on all aspects of the Re-Set, proving the case using official information. So far, this has not stopped the Government's incessant stream of lies and propaganda, based on no facts whatsoever.

For years we have been the most prolific publisher on the UK's relationship with the EU and the Rest of the World. We have had to do so on a shoestring. We are enormously grateful to those readers who have become members and who have supported our work financially. However, we are on our last legs. If we go, who is left? Who will get this information into the mainstream media every week?

PLEASE join us today and support us financially. If more patriotic members of the public don't respond, one day people will wake up and find we have had to close our doors - just at the most critical juncture for our country.

We beg you not to let this happen.

Please, please help us to carry on our vital work in defence of independence, sovereignty, democracy and freedom by donating today. Thank you.

[ Sources: HMRC | Andrew Griffith MP ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Thurs 23 Apr 2026

Click here to go to our news headlines

Please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.
And don't forget actually to 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 11

1. John Jonrs , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 05:06:

Politico.eu , a pro EU digital rag confirms in a slightly different terms that the supposed re- set by Starmer et al ( Thomas Symonds) will likely increase costs for a number of our suppliers to the EU - no. of farming bodies especially know what's up and are beginning to fight back.
Being driven ideologically to want to undermine Brexit is one thing - but now this is into the open and the benefits are so overtly lacking, why oh why do labour think they will get more votes by introducing this legislation ie aligning with EU SPS.
One thing the politico.eu report makes clear - the cost of alignment with EU SPS rules is not going to result in cheaper food - all it does is lock the UK more into EU regulatory alignment - without even a Veto - all pay, no say.

2. Sparky , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 07:54:

The key word above is Goods. Services exports are 25% higher than goods.
.
But regarding goods, those that do export to the EU will have suppliers and services that may not export directly to the EU. 41% of UK exports are to the EU.
.
The HoC Library has a good report dated April 2025 re goods and services exports. Included is a graph that clearly shows the decline in exports post Brexit.
.
With regard to services, the British Chamber of Commerce produced a report in August 2025 titled "The Reality of UK Services Trade Post Brexit".
.
Anyone bought a new car or mobile phone lately. Since 2024 all cars sold in the UK have a speed warning noise whenever the speed limit is exceeded. All mobile phones have a USB C charging port and chargers are sold separately. Both due to legislation passed by the EU, not the UK since Brexit. EU legislation will impact our lives anyway, Brexit just means that UK is no longer represented.

3. Mr Sceptic , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 08:52:

The fact that now less than 2% of all UK companies export to EU shows the devastating effect that Brexit has had on the export capabilities of our small and medium companies.

4. NH , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 09:58:

2. Sparky
Haven't we explained this to you a million times before. Goods exports were effected by redirected trade (food, clothing etc), energy exports (we stopped producing energy) and aircraft parts, which is a large amount of our exports to EU. This was reduced because Airbus have had production problems. Goods exports to the EU have been analysed extensively, on a trade code basis, so all this data is available.
.
The British Chamber of Commerce reported on a report produced by the LSE regarding service exports they did not produce this report. The LSE, and other Universities, have constantly released fake reports on Brexit. They did have a lot of EU students so they do have an interest.
.
The CBI recently commented on UK services they said:
.
"The UK’s services industry is a global success story, accounting for 90 per cent of our GDP last year and over four-fifths of employment this year. And their value to our economy is only growing, with the UK doubling its services exports since 2016".
.
The EU's own Mario Draghi recently cited IMF estimates that show Europe’s internal barriers are equivalent to a 45% tariff on manufactured goods and a 110% levy on services. Claims that the EU gives you free trade are a myth !
.
As John Jones as stated above. The Chief Executive of the Fresh Food Consortium has stated that the EU alignment would introduce a more budensome and expensive regulatory framework, particularly for imports from the rest of the world. He says it will be an act of economic self-harm.

5. NH , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 10:06:

3. Sceptic
No it does not !
According to official statistics the number of UK companies registered as exporting companies increased by 32% between 2016 and 2023.

6. Have You Wondered , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 12:50:

.
Forget all the statistics and prophecies that are manipulated. For those with rawbolted EU blinkers unable to read the European news here is the current reality - the economic reality in the sunlit uplands of the EU and all because of Brexit?
REJOIN? WHAT ON EARTH FOR?
Europeans are doing no better? I see no difference in the EU other than all the UK's woes are following on in the EU - if not already there! Examples:
Food prices have rocketed.
Building costs rocketed
Rubbish not being collected in Brussels.
The army on the streets of Brussels to quell drug gang shootings and bombing.
Moody’s downgraded Belgium’s sovereign credit rating from Aa3 to A1
Healthcare declining.
Pharmaceuticals declining.
Taxes increasing.
Bureaucracy rocketing.
Trade negotiations taking 25 yrs and still not over the line (Mercosur)
Housing problems.
Migrants problems
Crime on the up
You name it - it's the same as the UK.
And all because of BREXIT !!!
Tell you what - let's have a Free Trade Association without all the rules, domineering politics, vassal states and corruption ?
We could call it the European Free Trade Association EFTA - Oh.... !!
.

7. GazzaBlack , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 12:51:

The EU just signed a trade deal with India. The EU’s biggest import from India is refined oil. India has very little crude oil; it imports 88% of the crude it refined in 2024/5 – and where is that crude coming from? Most likely Russia. Russia supplied 37% of India’s crude imports in 2024. Luckily for the EU, refining converts Russian Crude from one HS code to another, so the refined oil the EU imports magically becomes Indian rather than Russian.
If only there was another country that could supply the EU with oil and gas, a country that was just across the channel, already connected with gas pipelines. But alas, Ed Miliband would prefer to see the EU buy Russian oil and gas, whether directly or indirectly, than allow oil companies to fully exploit the UK’s natural resources.

8. GazzaBlack , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 13:00:

Unlike the national governments, the European Union does not provide EU citizens with any government-type services, such as an army, police, education, or healthcare. The governments of EU member states still provide these services with the taxes they collect.
.
The EU bureaucracy imposes an additional layer of regulation that necessitates its own court and enforcement system, which, in turn, requires funding—money the EU takes from its members, as well as from payments imposed on non-member countries and from fines on international companies.
.
In 2024, the EU raised a total of €250 billion: €20 billion from Customs duties (which it considers to be its ‘own resource’ – it is a Customs Union after all,) €121 billion from its member states for a proportion of their GNI, VAT, and the plastic packaging tax—as well as €109 billion in other revenue.
.
And what do EU citizens get for this money – lots and lots of regulations and directives. EU Regulations come directly from Brussels and are implemented immediately in all member states.
.
By leaving the EU, the UK has missed out on over 25,000 new EU rules. This is a massive burden on EU populations, businesses and trade.

9. GazzaBlack , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 16:19:

Seeing as it's St Georges day, give a thought to an English hero
.
Not a soldier. sailor or pilot - and not a Channel 4 journalist
A different kind of hero
His name
John Snow
A doctor
Every clean tap on Earth is a result of him arguing that diseases such as cholera were a result of contaminated water, and not from bad air (which everyone called "Miasma"
.
Every clean tap on Earth stems from his work
Billions of lives saved

10. Mr Sceptic , Thursday, April 23, 2026, 16:39:

47-48% of UK goods exports go to the EU.
36-38% of UK services exports go to the EU.

11 comments, page 1 of 2

Add comment:

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