Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Desmond Swayne and Kemi Badenoch

Thursday 2nd May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

12. What progress she has made on supporting businesses to reach £1 trillion in annual exports.

[The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Kemi Badenoch)]

UK exports were £862 billion in the 12 months to February. UK services exports reached a record £472 billion in the same period, which is an increase of 10%—they went up by £42 billion. Businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, can access my Department’s wealth of export support at great.gov.uk. That support includes the UK Export Academy, which has had more than 18,000 registrations; our 160 international trade advisers, who help about 6,000 SMEs each year; and 388 export champions, across every part of the UK.

[Sir Desmond Swayne]

Are we really the fourth largest exporter in the world?

[Kemi Badenoch]

I am pleased to tell my right hon. Friend that we are. There are many, many more good statistics, which he will find in the publication my Department produced at the end of January; it contains further good news stories on UK exports. The UK is a global exporting superpower and the world’s second biggest services exporter. Services exports to the European Union are at a record high and have increased by 36% since 2018.

Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill

Debate between Desmond Swayne and Kemi Badenoch

Thursday 11th May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Kemi Badenoch]

I am trying really hard not to laugh at what the hon. Lady has said. She is in a party that cannot even decide who paid for a caravan and is falling into a complete shambles. How will it in any way be able to do the sort of technical work we are doing? I am working with—[Interruption.] The SNP makes a lot of noise, but the way it is running Scotland shows that Bills such as this are best left in the hands of UK Government Ministers to stop the SNP making a shambles of everything.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

The advantage of a sunset is that it provides a sense of urgency. Now there is not one, is there?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Desmond Swayne and Kemi Badenoch

Thursday 3rd November 2022 Commons Chamber

[Kemi Badenoch]

It amazes me that, even now, Brexit is still being blamed for everything. It is about time that the Opposition, who call other people complacent, paid attention to what is going on in the world and got off their personal hobby-horses. On car manufacturing, there is an issue with battery supply from the US, as everybody knows. We are doing everything that we can to support companies in getting the parts that they need. The export support service is doing a fantastic job, and I commend the officials who work in it.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

T4.   When couriers demand payment of duty on goods from the European Union, with which we have a free trade agreement, are we being ripped off?

[Kemi Badenoch]

Items moving between countries normally attract customs duty and import VAT, but my right hon. Friend will know that the trade and co-operation agreement means that there will be no customs duty on goods moving between Great Britain and the EU if the goods meet rules of origin. Delivery companies may charge their clients handling fees for moving products internationally, but the Government do not have control over those charges, which are a commercial matter.