Evidence that leaving the EU has damaged UK trade is “few and far between”, the government’s Brexit opportunities minister has said.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was handed the new role last week, said recent drops in exports had been caused by disruption during Covid.
He argued that Brexit was “already a success” and boosting the economy.
But the Office for Budget Responsibility said there was a Brexit hit to trade with the EU.
The UK left the EU’s trading regime in January 2021, 11 months after it left the bloc – with its trade now governed by a post-Brexit trade deal.
Since then, British businesses have experienced additional paperwork and border checks when exporting products to EU countries.
Last week, a cross-party committee of MPs said that new arrangements for the UK-EU border had added costs to exporting businesses.
In a report, the Public Accounts Committee said trade had been “suppressed” since the UK cut formal trade ties in January 2021, due a combination of Brexit, Covid and global economic problems.
The MPs said it was not possible to separate out the precise impact of each factor, but it was “clear” that Brexit had had an impact.
Official trade statistics show UK exports to the EU in the first ten months of 2021 were down 12% on pre-pandemic levels, in a year hit by disruption.
UK imports from the EU were 20% lower than before the pandemic.
Asked by the BBC about falls in trade during a visit to the port of Felixstowe, Mr Rees-Mogg said Covid had caused “the most enormous disruptions to supply chains”.
“We’ve had containers simply being stuck the wrong place, being stuck in Chinese ports, being stuck in the port of Los Angeles,” he added.
“This has been a global trade issue – and we do have to recover from the problems of Covid”.
Asked whether Brexit had reduced UK trade, he replied: “I think Brexit has been extremely beneficial for the country.
“I think the evidence that Brexit has caused trade drops is few and far between.”
New research from the British Chambers of Commerce has suggested many firms do not believe post-Brexit trading arrangements have helped trade with the EU.
In a survey of 1,000 UK exporters by the business group, seven out of 10 of those polled said the UK’s trade deal with the EU was not enabling their business to grow.
Liberal Democrat business spokesperson Sarah Olney said the research showed British firms believe the deal is “simply not good enough”.
“Claims from the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg about Brexit opportunities ring hollow for businesses being drowned in paperwork and delays at our borders,” she added.
In his new cabinet job, Mr Rees-Mogg has been tasked with finding opportunities to make UK businesses more competitive by changing or removing EU laws copied over after Brexit.
Since Brexit, the UK has moved away from EU laws in certain areas, including on immigration, payments to farmers, and gene-editing rules for crops.
But the prime minister has been under increasing pressure in recent months from MPs on the right of his party to go further.
The government has promised to introduce a new law to streamline the process for removing or amending EU laws the UK has inherited.
Classic gaslighting from the Haunted Victorian Pencil.
I wouldn’t shed a single tear if he disappeared off the face of the earth. In fact I’d throw a party
Good old Jacob. His estate is raising a small cavalry unit to join the conflict in Crimea so we should show some gratitude. He was crowing in the commons about how brexit hadn’t proved to be an obstacle for British entrepreneur Philleas Fogg. Ridding of the oppressive children’s working hours directive imposed by Napoleonic patsies the EU means the UK now has a labour surplus.
It’s all gravy.
As long as he can profit he doesn’t care about the country.
>Brexit shrank UK services exports by £110bn, academics find
>This latest BCC Businesses survey highlights once again that the Tory government’s extreme Brexit deal has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster
>
>Brexit has prevented growth in the economy, cost billions of pounds, led to drastic fall in exports, and is now adding to the cost of living crisis
I am a commercial analyst for a large, online plumbing and heating retailer, and I can say that this take is utter shite.
This guy is literally the posh version of that arsehole who used to go on public servers on games to grief people.
He knows this is wrong, he knows people are suffering, he knows these comments wind people up.
And he thinks its funny.
If you ignore all the evidence of brexit hurting us there’s no evidence of brexit hurting us.
>*”Let me be perfectly clear, aside from all of the data, statistics and review information clearly pointing out that trade, in, and from the UK has been directly negatively impacted by Brexit alone, outside and beyond the effects suffered because of the global pandemic, I can categorically state that there has been no impact on trade, in, or from the UK.”*
Does this sound about right?
Brexit hasn’t hit HIS trade. Because the slimy twat moved his money into Ireland. What a fekking hypocrite.
You only need to work in a job that had anything to do with exporting to know this is a lie
He didn’t say this in parliament, so surely we can call him a liar this time?
My favourite take is the MP for Dover (Elphicke) last night (Newsnight) saying that the lorry queues are not due to Brexit they’re due to EU red tape, red tape that had always existed and has only been imposed on us due to…
Covid really was a gift to these pricks, wasn’t it?
For the rest of time they’ll just use the covid economic turmoil to cover their fuckup
Trust the BBC to put this as a headline as if its factual.
Little evidence that Jacob Rees-Mogg is human either
This is false
Source: economist looking into the joint impacts of Covid and Brexit
Edit: Yes, that’s me a paid up member of project fear. Though they have missed their last few payments🤔. The conferences I attend are full of peer reviewed papers on the impacts of Brexit. They must all also be paid up members of project fear. Much like all those climate scientists being paid up members of green energy companies etc. Anyway I must return to my 100 foot self cleaning sex yacht.
Very serious question –
Is their a cabinet minister within this government, that when they speak you actually believe them & do they convey the feeling of trust?
Who is that person?
>Jacob Rees-Mogg says little evidence Brexit hit trade
It’s a typo, they dropped the comma, it should read “Jacob Rees-Mogg says little , evidence Brexit hit trade”.
This cunt: “It might take 50yrs to see the benefits of Brexit”.
Also this cunt: “There are no downsides to Brexit!”
Get back in your time machine and fuck off back to the Victorian era.
Ok that’s fine, if our economic issues are not Brexit, they would need to be laid squarely at general tory policies, correct?
Hi Jacob, feel free to look at my sale figures to Europe before and after we left the EU. You’re welcome any time.
This on the same day we hear brexit has wiped 20 billion off our exports.
“little evidence” is tory speak, they misdirected and twist and lie. Mogg is one of the worst.
Yeah, if you keep your fucking eyes shut Jakey and are deaf. And live in a cave under a rock on the far side of the moon and actually just fuck off
We have a small haulage company that deals with EU trade. I’d love to be able to show him our accounts, our clients accounts and compare activity pre-Brexit and post-Brexit. The pandemic hit hard, but we actually started feeling it before the pandemic.
Of course he would say this.
He’s no doubt making a killing privately so he’s all good.
I’m fucking gobsmacked.
This cunt knows full well, that those that know better will be fuming…and he finds that funny.
Those that will believe this shit will be the types to only read the headline, and he knows that too, and finds it funny.
This country is run by ghouls.
(I use the term “run” loosely)
I assume he was holidaying on one of his regular trips up his own arse during the petrol and food shortages?
The shortages which Northern Ireland suffered none of, despite being under all the same covid restrictions?
Wonder why that could be…surely nothing to do with being able to trade freely with europe unlike the rest of the UK.
Has trade suffered due to covid? of course… but Brexit turned a problem into a catastrophe… and still isn’t done.
We are still phasing in customs checks, some of which won’t be in force until November this year.
I work in export trade and I promise you this guy is full of shit.
I think most of the country would love to give him a slap and agree there is little evidence anyone hit him.
32 comments
Evidence that leaving the EU has damaged UK trade is “few and far between”, the government’s Brexit opportunities minister has said.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was handed the new role last week, said recent drops in exports had been caused by disruption during Covid.
He argued that Brexit was “already a success” and boosting the economy.
But the Office for Budget Responsibility said there was a Brexit hit to trade with the EU.
The UK left the EU’s trading regime in January 2021, 11 months after it left the bloc – with its trade now governed by a post-Brexit trade deal.
Since then, British businesses have experienced additional paperwork and border checks when exporting products to EU countries.
Last week, a cross-party committee of MPs said that new arrangements for the UK-EU border had added costs to exporting businesses.
In a report, the Public Accounts Committee said trade had been “suppressed” since the UK cut formal trade ties in January 2021, due a combination of Brexit, Covid and global economic problems.
The MPs said it was not possible to separate out the precise impact of each factor, but it was “clear” that Brexit had had an impact.
Official trade statistics show UK exports to the EU in the first ten months of 2021 were down 12% on pre-pandemic levels, in a year hit by disruption.
UK imports from the EU were 20% lower than before the pandemic.
Asked by the BBC about falls in trade during a visit to the port of Felixstowe, Mr Rees-Mogg said Covid had caused “the most enormous disruptions to supply chains”.
“We’ve had containers simply being stuck the wrong place, being stuck in Chinese ports, being stuck in the port of Los Angeles,” he added.
“This has been a global trade issue – and we do have to recover from the problems of Covid”.
Asked whether Brexit had reduced UK trade, he replied: “I think Brexit has been extremely beneficial for the country.
“I think the evidence that Brexit has caused trade drops is few and far between.”
New research from the British Chambers of Commerce has suggested many firms do not believe post-Brexit trading arrangements have helped trade with the EU.
In a survey of 1,000 UK exporters by the business group, seven out of 10 of those polled said the UK’s trade deal with the EU was not enabling their business to grow.
Liberal Democrat business spokesperson Sarah Olney said the research showed British firms believe the deal is “simply not good enough”.
“Claims from the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg about Brexit opportunities ring hollow for businesses being drowned in paperwork and delays at our borders,” she added.
In his new cabinet job, Mr Rees-Mogg has been tasked with finding opportunities to make UK businesses more competitive by changing or removing EU laws copied over after Brexit.
Since Brexit, the UK has moved away from EU laws in certain areas, including on immigration, payments to farmers, and gene-editing rules for crops.
But the prime minister has been under increasing pressure in recent months from MPs on the right of his party to go further.
The government has promised to introduce a new law to streamline the process for removing or amending EU laws the UK has inherited.
Classic gaslighting from the Haunted Victorian Pencil.
I wouldn’t shed a single tear if he disappeared off the face of the earth. In fact I’d throw a party
Good old Jacob. His estate is raising a small cavalry unit to join the conflict in Crimea so we should show some gratitude. He was crowing in the commons about how brexit hadn’t proved to be an obstacle for British entrepreneur Philleas Fogg. Ridding of the oppressive children’s working hours directive imposed by Napoleonic patsies the EU means the UK now has a labour surplus.
It’s all gravy.
As long as he can profit he doesn’t care about the country.
>Brexit shrank UK services exports by £110bn, academics find
[Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/20a626ab-d221-43e6-9990-bfd1e1ff132d)
……
>This latest BCC Businesses survey highlights once again that the Tory government’s extreme Brexit deal has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster
>
>Brexit has prevented growth in the economy, cost billions of pounds, led to drastic fall in exports, and is now adding to the cost of living crisis
[London Economic](https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/eu-us-trade-partnership-uk-brexit-312159/)
I am a commercial analyst for a large, online plumbing and heating retailer, and I can say that this take is utter shite.
This guy is literally the posh version of that arsehole who used to go on public servers on games to grief people.
He knows this is wrong, he knows people are suffering, he knows these comments wind people up.
And he thinks its funny.
If you ignore all the evidence of brexit hurting us there’s no evidence of brexit hurting us.
>*”Let me be perfectly clear, aside from all of the data, statistics and review information clearly pointing out that trade, in, and from the UK has been directly negatively impacted by Brexit alone, outside and beyond the effects suffered because of the global pandemic, I can categorically state that there has been no impact on trade, in, or from the UK.”*
Does this sound about right?
Brexit hasn’t hit HIS trade. Because the slimy twat moved his money into Ireland. What a fekking hypocrite.
You only need to work in a job that had anything to do with exporting to know this is a lie
He didn’t say this in parliament, so surely we can call him a liar this time?
My favourite take is the MP for Dover (Elphicke) last night (Newsnight) saying that the lorry queues are not due to Brexit they’re due to EU red tape, red tape that had always existed and has only been imposed on us due to…
Covid really was a gift to these pricks, wasn’t it?
For the rest of time they’ll just use the covid economic turmoil to cover their fuckup
Trust the BBC to put this as a headline as if its factual.
Little evidence that Jacob Rees-Mogg is human either
This is false
Source: economist looking into the joint impacts of Covid and Brexit
Edit: Yes, that’s me a paid up member of project fear. Though they have missed their last few payments🤔. The conferences I attend are full of peer reviewed papers on the impacts of Brexit. They must all also be paid up members of project fear. Much like all those climate scientists being paid up members of green energy companies etc. Anyway I must return to my 100 foot self cleaning sex yacht.
Very serious question –
Is their a cabinet minister within this government, that when they speak you actually believe them & do they convey the feeling of trust?
Who is that person?
>Jacob Rees-Mogg says little evidence Brexit hit trade
It’s a typo, they dropped the comma, it should read “Jacob Rees-Mogg says little , evidence Brexit hit trade”.
This cunt: “It might take 50yrs to see the benefits of Brexit”.
Also this cunt: “There are no downsides to Brexit!”
Get back in your time machine and fuck off back to the Victorian era.
Ok that’s fine, if our economic issues are not Brexit, they would need to be laid squarely at general tory policies, correct?
Hi Jacob, feel free to look at my sale figures to Europe before and after we left the EU. You’re welcome any time.
This on the same day we hear brexit has wiped 20 billion off our exports.
“little evidence” is tory speak, they misdirected and twist and lie. Mogg is one of the worst.
Sure Jacob – https://www.thejournal.ie/irish-exports-highest-level-ever-5683731-Feb2022/
Yeah, if you keep your fucking eyes shut Jakey and are deaf. And live in a cave under a rock on the far side of the moon and actually just fuck off
We have a small haulage company that deals with EU trade. I’d love to be able to show him our accounts, our clients accounts and compare activity pre-Brexit and post-Brexit. The pandemic hit hard, but we actually started feeling it before the pandemic.
Of course he would say this.
He’s no doubt making a killing privately so he’s all good.
I’m fucking gobsmacked.
This cunt knows full well, that those that know better will be fuming…and he finds that funny.
Those that will believe this shit will be the types to only read the headline, and he knows that too, and finds it funny.
This country is run by ghouls.
(I use the term “run” loosely)
I assume he was holidaying on one of his regular trips up his own arse during the petrol and food shortages?
The shortages which Northern Ireland suffered none of, despite being under all the same covid restrictions?
Wonder why that could be…surely nothing to do with being able to trade freely with europe unlike the rest of the UK.
Has trade suffered due to covid? of course… but Brexit turned a problem into a catastrophe… and still isn’t done.
We are still phasing in customs checks, some of which won’t be in force until November this year.
I work in export trade and I promise you this guy is full of shit.
I think most of the country would love to give him a slap and agree there is little evidence anyone hit him.