On 26 June 2025, the government presented its Trade Strategy. Led by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade (DBT), Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds MP, and Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security, Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, this is the UK’s first post-Brexit trade strategy.
Key highlights include…
- An expansion of export finance
- UK Export Finance (UKEF)’s capacity brought to a total of £80bn
- Improvements to export support particularly for SMEs
- A strengthened trade defence toolkit
Commenting on the Trade Strategy, ADS Chief Executive, Kevin Craven, said:
“The publication of the Trade Strategy – hot on the heels of the Industrial Strategy – is an important step forwards in strengthening this Government’s partnership with industry, harnessing export-driven sectors such as ours to fuel economic growth.
In 2024, our sectors achieved £45.4bn in export sales and a staggering 45% of our overall turnover is driven by exports. Accordingly, an ambitious and coordinated Trade Strategy is crucial to our success. We welcome in particular the expansion to UK Export Finance’s lending capacity and the improvements to support for exporting SMEs. The Government is also right to take a broader approach to facilitating trade beyond simply pursuing Free Trade Agreements. On the flip side, the creation of an Economic Security Advisory Service, as ADS called for, is a necessary step given the increasingly turbulent global environment.
The Trade Strategy rightly comments that no serious strategy can be left to gather dust. We look forward to working with the Government to deliver its ambitions and secure the lion’s share of global export opportunities across aerospace, defence, security and space.”
Read the policy members briefing here.
