Responding to reports that the Single Trade Window, a government IT scheme designed to simplify international trade for businesses, has been “shelved”, James Mills, Head of Trade Policy at Logistics UK, said:
“These reports are deeply concerning. If true, they will be a blow for our members, and there must be a credible alternative. Growing uncertainty makes it harder for businesses to plan and invest.
“The UK has fallen from 4th to 19th in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, and exporters continue to face unnecessary duplication and cost at the border.
“The Single Trade Window is not just about cutting red tape, it is also about growth and living standards.
“Previous government modelling suggested that a new post-Brexit border system, including efficiencies linked to a Single Trade Window, was expected to reduce costs for traders by around half a billion pounds a year.
“If the government wants to boost employment and raise living standards, cutting border friction must be at the heart of a trade-led growth strategy and is one of the quickest wins available.”
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods.
