The UK Government has launched its ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ plan. The plan, published by the Department for International Trade (DIT), is a 12-point export strategy that aims to assist UK companies in selling their products globally.
 

Atticus Communications has summarised the key elements of this announcement below, and you can read the full document here.

12-point plan

1. Over £45 million in funding awarded over the Spending Review 2021 period for the digital transformation of DIT’s export support services
2. New DIT offices in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland with teams dedicated to promoting international trade
3. Launch of the UK SME Export Support Fund to provide SMEs with the financial assistance they need to internationalise
4. UK Export Finance (UKEF) will expand its products and delivery network to help boost support to UK exporters and their buyers overseas
5. Strengthening a joint approach through connecting governments and businesses through DIT’s global networks
6. Extend the reach of the pilot Export Academy to offer training programmes and digital tools to help businesses with exporting and finding opportunities overseas
7. Extension of the community of Export Champions, ensuring businesses can learn from other companies who have succeeded in exporting through peer-to-peer learning and networking
8. Championing of the UK Government’s priority sectors through the Made in the UK, Sold to the World campaign
9. Piloting of the UK Tradeshow Programme (UKTP)
10. Putting exporting at the heart of the UK Government’s reforms to regulations, and regulatory diplomacy
11. Utilising the UK Government’s teams based in global markets to provide advice to high growth companies to help them grow internationally
12. Continue opening new markets for UK exporters
    
    

Key highlights

Atticus Communications has provided below a summary of the key takeaways from the UK Government’s 12-point plan for exports.

1. Export Support Service

• Created a new Export Support Service (ESS) for UK Exporters
• Over £45 million in funding was awarded over the Spending Review 2021 for the digital transformation of DIT’s export support services
• The ESS has three main aims:

1. Simplify guidance and access to support for business
2. Target specific difficulties businesses are having in exporting to Europe
3. Promote the opportunities and support government offers

2. Supporting exporters across the UK

• Extend the reach of DIT’s export services across the whole of the UK
• Opening of new Trade and Investment offices in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and establishment of a second DIT HQ in Darlington to increase DIT’s capacity

3. Financial support for exporters

• SMEs can receive matched grant funding of up to £9,000 to support exports and overcome trade barriers
• £23 million set aside to support exporters in 2022

4. UK Export Finance (UKEF)

• UKEF will expand the availability of its products to better support the financial needs of UK exporters
• UKEF will expand the eligibility for the Export Development Guarantee to companies that do not currently export

5. Government-to-government partnerships (G2G)

• UKEF will be underpinned by a Government-to-Government provision aiming to ensure UK companies can access government business in global markets
• Government will focus on a joint approach, connecting Government and business through globally established networks

6. UK Export Academy

• The new UK Export Academy will offer SMEs a chance to learn how to navigate the difficulties of exporting and how to find opportunities abroad
• The Export Academy is an online facility available to a wide range of businesses, and is designed for both owners and senior managers of SMEs
• The core courses of the Export Academy will help SMEs with the tools and knowledge needed to begin exporting
  
  

7. Exporting networks across the UK

• Development of the DIT’s network of Export Champions across the UK
  
  

8. Export Campaign: Made in the UK, Sold to the World

• New export promotion campaign entitled ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’
• The campaign will engage with businesses and signpost them to the support they need to export

9. Piloting of a new UK Tradeshow programme

• Plan to launch a new UK Tradeshow programme (UKTP) until April 2023
• UKTP will aim to support UK-based SMEs to understand the benefits of exhibiting at overseas tradeshows and how they can maximise such participation
• Participants in UKTP will receive generic and event-specific training on how to make the most of tradeshows
• SMEs can apply to take part in UKTP through a digital platform
  
  

10. Making exporting easier

• Trade agreements negotiated by the UK Government aim to make exporting easier
• The UK Government will make conditions for trade easier for businesses by putting exporting central to the UK Government’s programmes and policies
  
  

11. Global reach

• Strengthen support in overseas markets to provide networks of advisers needed to support exporting sectors

12. Opening markets worldwide

• Continue to open new markets for UK exporters through free trade deals
• Seek opportunities to review and upgrade existing agreements 
• By the end of 2022, aiming for 80% of UK trade to be covered by existing and new trade agreements
• Mention of the UK being on the pathway to membership of the CPTPP – one of the globe’s largest free trade areas

• Replacement of the EU’s Common External Tariff with the UK Global Tariff (UKGT)
• Continue to resolve specific market access barriers identified by UK businesses
• Working with partner countries globally to champion free and fair-trade rules that are fit for the 21st century
  

DIT’s priority outcomes:

The Department for International Trade has identified numerous priority outcomes, listed below.

• Secure world-class free trade agreements and reduce market access barriers, ensuring that consumers and businesses can benefit from both

• The performance metrics for this outcome include:

1. UK Trade with countries with which the UK has concluded a free trade agreement (FTA), as a percentage of total UK trade
2. Predicted GDP impact of each concluded FTA as per published impact assessment, including by UK nation and region
3. Reduction in tariff barriers for each concluded FTA, as per published impact assessment 
4. Cost reductions related to non-tariff measures (NTMs) for goods and services for each concluded FTA, as per published impact assessment 
5. Number of market access barriers reported and resolved on the Digital Market Access Service