Andy Burnham’s £15billion Brexit ‘surrender deal’ will help just 2% of British businesses

The article argues that a proposed UK-EU agreement involving alignment with the bloc’s food and agricultural rules could impose costs on British firms that do not trade with the EU. The Government says a deal could support growth, farmers and reduce red tape, while critics say broader regulatory alignment risks burdening domestic businesses.

The article cites modelling that estimates a £15 billion net opportunity cost over five years, equivalent to 0.5 per cent of GDP, rather than an annual charge. It reports that 1.9 per cent of UK businesses export goods to the EU, while EU-bound goods exports were worth £181.9 billion, or about 6 per cent of UK GDP; the EU exported £295.6 billion of goods to the UK.