Brexit scaremongering must stop, says minister
Total UK trade is up and Brexit scaremongering “has to stop”, a business minister has said.
Nus Ghani told the Commons UK trade is thriving post-Brexit, as she dismissed concerns about the effects of the country’s withdrawal from the European Union as “scaremongering”.
Her remarks came in response to a question about the impact of Brexit on business and trade in the UK from Alba Party MP Neale Hanvey.
She said: “Having regained our regulatory sovereignty now that we have left the EU, we are now able to ensure that our regulation is tailored to the UK economy, supports our businesses and protects our consumers and having left a single market we can focus on UK trade with the world, where trade is up 24 per cent.
“So the answer to this question is the effect is total trade is up post Brexit.”
However, Hanvey said “resilient and effective routes to market are essential for trade”, arguing the current congestion levels in Dover were “a significant barrier to effective trade”.
He went on: “Will the minister meet with me to discuss how we reintroduce direct links from Scotland to mainland Europe and ensure trade is friction-free from Scotland?”
But Ghani reiterated her stance, dismissing his concerns as an exaggeration.
She said: “I don’t think he heard my answer. Trade is up. The reality is this scaremongering just has to stop.
“The scaremongering is basically a cover for petty nationalism and I would ask him to remember to be passionate about the market that matters.
“That is between Scotland and England and if he was passionate about Scottish businesses and Scottish jobs, he would be passionate about the single market that matters.”
Tory MP Philip Hollobone also commended the benefits of Brexit, claiming that dire predictions made during the Brexit referendum have all proved wrong.
He said: “In 2023 with us outside the EU, employment is at record highs, unemployment at record lows, the eurozone is in recession, we’re not, and EU exports are at record levels.”
Business minister Kevin Hollinrake replied: “The UK’s total exports are now recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Measured against 2018, in 2022 UK exports were £815bn, up 21 per cent in current prices, and up 0.5 per cent once adjusted for inflation.
“There is no doubt UK exports continue to excel and will continue to do so.”
By Martina Bet and Ben Hatton, PA