Britain has become an international trading powerhouse thanks to Brexit, Kemi Badenoch has insisted.
She said our economy is “nimbler” now it is free from mindless EU red tape, meaning UK firms can be more ruthless on the global marketplace.
Mrs Badenoch used a speech at the Institute of Economic Affairs to set out how Brexit has boosted British business as she kicked off International Trade week.
She said a shipment between Britain and Singapore illustrates how the UK “is an international trading powerhouse”.
“This was the first-ever paperless shipment between our two countries, completed under our groundbreaking Digital Economy Agreement signed in June 2022. “A shipment with no paperwork and no needless red tape.”
“Being freed from EU horse-trading means we can sign deals quickly and think more creatively,” she added.
The Cabinet Secretary said Britain’s economic pivot to the Asia-Pacific region since Brexit is vital to boosting growth and jobs.
“Being free from EU rules allows us to be nimbler in pursuing these objectives and it allows us to ruthlessly target our strengths and competitive advantage in a global marketplace,” she said.
“By 2035, services are projected to make up 77% of global GDP. The number of middle-class consumers could potentially double by 2050 – with 90% of the growth coming from outside Europe and North America.
“The future of trade is moving east and it’s moving towards services – two crucial factors why Britain will thrive as an independent trading nation.”
Mrs Badenoch used her speech to take a swipe at Brexit doom-mongers who have talked down the economy since Brexit. It comes as a new report shows UK goods and services exports soared between 2019 and 2022.
The landmark study from IEA revealed that UK goods exports soared by 13.5% to EU countries and 14.3% to non-EU countries during that period, which was before and after Britain left the EU.
UK services exports rose by 14.8% to EU countries and 22.1% to non-EU countries, the report shows.
In blockbuster November Ms Badenoch has already revealed she will be signing a major £1 trillion Brexit trade deal with Florida later in the month while rade talks with Turkey will begin shortly.
She says Britain is “surging” towards its goal of securing £1 trillion of exports by 2030
It comes as mega a free trade agreement with India is on the horizon, while Britain earlier this year joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Indo-Pacific trade bloc in the biggest post-Brexit deal to date.
