Logistics UK has welcomed the announcement of a forthcoming UK-EU summit in November, calling for renewed efforts to strengthen trade relations and address persistent supply chain inefficiencies following Brexit. The organisation believes that closer cooperation between the two sides could deliver significant economic benefits for British businesses.
Speaking after Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the planned talks in the House of Commons this afternoon, Ben Fletcher, Chief Executive of Logistics UK, stressed the importance of maintaining an effective relationship with the country’s closest trading partner. The organisation represents businesses responsible for moving the goods that UK consumers, companies, hospitals and schools depend on 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,” Fletcher said.
He pointed to the inefficiencies that continue to affect trade between the UK and the EU since Brexit, arguing that existing arrangements are disrupting supply chains on which both sides remain dependent. Restoring the safe, fast and efficient logistics operations that characterised the pre-Brexit period, he said, would help reduce expensive delays and ease the difficulties faced by importers and exporters on both sides of the Channel.
The practical consequences of these disruptions are particularly evident at ports, where containers and lorries can spend unnecessary time waiting before continuing their journeys. Fletcher underlined the financial impact of these delays, noting that logistics operators are losing valuable time while goods remain held up at ports and airports instead of moving smoothly through the transport network.
“As the old saying goes, time is money,” he said, highlighting the need for arrangements that allow freight to transit more efficiently.
There are also potential economic gains that are significant from closer UK-EU cooperation. And new trade deals, said to be on the table as part of the summit, could bring in an additional £10 billion a year by 2040 – a real boost for commercial activity.
“Logistics UK’s members remain committed to ensuring the smoothest possible movement of goods into and out of the country,” Fletcher said. But he warned that trading practices remained a source of major delays and more progress was needed.
The organization said it looks forward to working with relevant stakeholders to restore the seamless flow of goods that businesses on both sides of the Channel previously relied on, benefiting UK organizations and the wider British economy.
Logistics UK is the voice of the logistics sector covering road, rail, inland waterways, sea and air freight, as well as ports, airports and warehousing. It also represents companies that rely on freight services, retailers and manufacturers, among others. The only trade association for the entire logistics industry, it offers representation, services and industry expertise to more than 22,000 members.
The sector is crucial to the UK’s economic performance, employing 8% of the national workforce, adding £175 billion in annual gross value added (GVA) and underpinning more than £1 trillion in international trade.
