§ Mr. ColmanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the volume of trade with the European Union by firms in London and the South East. [111957]
§ Dawn PrimaroloFirms in London and the South East, along with others in the rest of the United Kingdom, benefit greatly from our participation in the Single Market. The European Union is Britain's foremost trading partner, accounting for more than half of both our exports and imports of goods by value.
Trade data for the UK regions are available only for the value of their total exports and imports of goods (there is no EU/non-EU split). These data indicate that last year London and the South East accounted for around 33 per cent. of UK exports and 45 per cent. of UK imports.