Government’s trade export finance numbers were fudged, says panel of MPs September 20, 2021 MPs on the Commons’ international trade committee have accused the government’s export credit agency of exaggerating the number of UK businesses it supported in the last year. UK Export Finance (UKEF) directly helped a “significantly lower” number of companies than its “headline figure of 549 business supported” in the 2020-21 financial year, the committee found. [...]
Open-outcry trading returns: London Metal Exchange reopens trading floor after 18 months September 6, 2021 Brokers returned to the UK’s only open trading pen today as the London Metal Exchange welcomed back floor trading for the first time in 18 months. The exchange’s famous “ring” filled with traders and will be seen by many as a symbol of life returning to the Square Mile after trading on the site ceased [...]
UK beefs up international trade effort by naming cricket legend Ian Botham envoy to Ashes rivals Australia August 23, 2021 Former England cricket captain Ian Botham has been appointed as a UK trade envoy to Australia. Lord Botham is to be one of 10 new UK trade tsars tasked with drumming up business for Britain in overseas markets that also include New Zealand and Canada, The Sun reported. “It’s a great honour to carry out [...]
Truss: UK has made ‘great progress’ in New Zealand free trade deal negotiations July 31, 2021 International trade secretary Liz Truss said the UK and New Zealand were “closing in” on a new free trade deal after the latest round of talks between the two countries concluded. Truss met with her Antipodean counterpart Damien O’Connor for a series of trade talks between 19 and 30 July, for a new free trade [...]
Boris Johnson and Kenyan president to host global education summit in London July 26, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson will co-host a global education summit with President Uhuru Kenyatta, who arrives in London tomorrow. The summit, which takes place between 28-29 July, aims to raise $5bn to educate children across the developing world over the next five years. The two leaders are expected to discuss the progress across all areas of [...]
Charity, dating and pet spending rises as restrictions relax July 22, 2021 As Covid restrictions continue to ease, Britons spend more on charity, dating and their pets. Building society Nationwide said today that spending also surged on holidays, among many other activities, between April to June, as well as eating and drinking, leisure, gardening and clothing. Nationwide analysed millions of transactions by its customers from April to [...]
UK e-commerce sector ranks third in the world July 22, 2021 The UK’s e-commerce sector ranks third globally when comparing sales to national GDP. According to BNPL platform Butter, The UK’s e-commerce retail sales total up to $180bn dollars, which equates to 6.7 per cent of the nation’s GDP of $2.7 trillion. The world’s biggest e-commerce retail market is China, which generated $2.3 trillion through online [...]
‘Lower prices, more choice’: UK mulls tariff cuts for exports from developing countries July 19, 2021 The government is set to trim tariffs on UK imports from developing countries to both boost their economies and bring Brits “lower prices and more choice”. Around 70 countries currently qualify for the new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which will also introduce simpler bureaucratic rules when exporting to the UK once approved. The UK [...]
Entire Scottish whisky distillery ships to China July 16, 2021 A Scottish whisky distillery, in its entirety, is being shipped out to China today. More than 35 tonnes of equipment, including flooring, control valves and pipework, is leaving Buckie in Moray for the port of Tianjin, according to a BBC report. It will be Inner Mongolia’s first whisky distillery when it opens towards the end [...]
Post-Brexit NI: Trade deal has bigger hangups than so-called ‘sausage war’ July 15, 2021 The UK and the European Union’s post-Brexit trade deal has bigger hang-ups than the so-called “sausage war” would have let on, a Northern Ireland retail head told MPs. There are much larger problems that lie ahead for the trade industry, Northern Ireland Retail Consortium director Aodhan Connolly said. Speaking at a hearing on the impacts [...]