UK Trade Deficit Widens After Rise in Imports

Britain’s trade position deteriorated unexpectedly in July after imports increased more than exports, frustrating the coalition government’s ambitions to rebalance the economy.

The trade in goods deficit – exports minus imports – widened to £10.2bn from £9.4bn in June, disappointing City expectations that the deficit would narrow to £9.1bn. It almost matched the largest monthly deficit on record, which was £10.3bn in April 2012.

The broader trade in goods and services deficit also widened in July, to £3.3bn from £2.5bn in June.

The Office for National Statistics data showed a larger goods deficit in July driven by a £1.3bn rise in imports to £34.2bn, outpacing a £500m increase in exports to £24bn.

Rising imports of fuel, chemicals and aircraft drove the deficit higher, while the rise in exports was driven by oil trade with non-EU countries and pharmaceutical exports.

In 2012, George Osborne set a target of doubling UK exports to £1tn by 2020 as part of a broader ambition to rebalance the economy away from consumer spending and towards manufacturing and exports. However, exports increased by just 2.1% in 2013 to £505.6bn, and the chancellor’s target is looking increasingly challenging. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) warned last month that the target will be missed at current rates of progress. The business lobby group said exports would have to grow by 10% a year to meet it.

via The Guardian

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