EU reset must reverse trade slump, says BCC

05 Feb 2026

The government must tackle the big issues around trading with the EU this year if it wants to reverse the post-Brexit trade slump, says the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

The business group said the stark impact of the impact of Brexit, Covid, war, and tariffs on the UK's exports had been laid bare by its latest survey results.

The BCC's survey found that only 21% of exporters reported an increase in export sales, while 28% reported a fall, and 50% reported no change. 

This differs considerably from the picture in the second quarter of 2018 when 31% of all firms saw increased orders no change and 14% a decrease. 

William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said that the last seven years have been some of the most challenging ever for exporters. 

He continued: 'Things started to take a turn for the worse as the trade implications of Brexit became clear in 2018 and they have been in the doldrums ever since.  

'A succession of further shocks on top of that – from Covid, wars, supply chain disruption and tariffs – have turned exporting into an uphill slog where the path keeps getting steeper.   

'The Prime Minister's trip to China and the real progress made on trade deals with the US, EU and India last year show the government understands the difficulties.  

'But we need to see a real focus in 2026 on delivering what has been agreed. The BCC's EU reset report sets out very clearly the big issues that must be tackled before the year is out.'