Logistics UK welcomes news of UK/EU Summit in November to boost trade

The Prime Minister’s announcement in the Commons this afternoon of the upcoming UK/EU summit could generate substantial UK/EU trade benefits according to Ben Fletcher, Chief Executive of Logistics UK, which represents the companies that that the goods that UK consumers, businesses, hospitals and schools rely upon every day.

“If our country is serious about promoting growth, we need to make sure that the relationship with our closest trading partner is as strong and effective as possible,” he said. “The inefficiency of our current post-Brexit relationship with the EU means that some arrangements exist which negatively impact the EU/UK supply chain which we still rely on.

“By prioritising a return to the safe, swift and efficient logistics supply chain we relied upon during the pre-Brexit years, and limiting costly delays that cause issues for importers and exporters on both sides of the channel, we can smooth many of the issues caused by the UK’s departure from the EU.

“The tangible benefit of this would be for logistics business not having containers and lorries sitting at ports for an unnecessary time,” continues Mr Fletcher. “As the old saying goes, time is money and the UK’s logistics operators are spending too long waiting for goods to transit ports and airports, when they should be able to move seamlessly though.”

As Mr Burnham continued, new trade agreements could increase the equivalent of £10bn per annum by 2040.

“Our members remain committed to ensuring that the movement of goods to and from the UK is done as smoothly as possible,” said Mr Fletcher, but there are still insurmountable delays being caused by trading practices. We look forward to working together to ensure the return to the seamless movement of goods that businesses were used to on both sides of the Channel, for the benefit of UK organisations and those in the UK.”

Business group Logistics UK champions the logistics sector, providing a unique, authoritative voice for its members. As the only trade association representing the whole industry, it supports more than 22,000 members, operating in road, rail, waterways, sea and air freight, in ports, airports and warehousing, as well as the customers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers. The group delivers industry representation, services and thought leadership to support a sector that is critical to economic growth, employing 8% of the UK workforce, contributing £175 billion in annual GVA and enabling over a £1 trillion of international trade.