Brexit Britain becomes the world's fourth BIGGEST exporter - overtaking France, Netherlands and Japan - in blow to Remainers who said leaving the EU would be a disaster

• UK has shot up from its previous ranking of seventh in 2021, UN data has shown

Britain has become the world’s fourth largest exporter, fresh figures have shown – despite warnings that international trade would fall off a cliff following Brexit.

The UK has shot up from its previous ranking of seventh in 2021, United Nations data has shown, rising three places in 2022.

In doing so, it has overtaken France, the Netherlands and Japan in the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) statistics for goods and services exports.

China generates the most wealth from exports – more than three and a half times as much as the UK – followed by the United States, Germany and then Britain.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch welcomed the news, saying: ‘These new figures show how the UK is punching above its weight on trade, and is on track to reach our ambition of exporting a trillion pounds of goods and services a year by 2030.

The UK has shot up from its previous ranking of seventh in 2021, United Nations data has shown (file image)

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch welcomed the news, saying: ‘These new figures show how the UK is punching above its weight on trade’

‘The appetite for world-class UK produce continues to grow and this government will keep supporting our brilliant businesses, helping to create more jobs, pay higher wages and grow the economy.’

The recent growth has been driven by professional services, of which the UK reportedly exported £185 billion in 2023.

‘Britain is the largest net exporter of financial services in the world, and the second largest exporter of financial services overall, behind only the US.

‘The industry is an enormous national advantage for the UK and one that generates jobs and drives growth across the country.’

It comes as the government announced new trade talks with Turkey last month, which it hopes will give a further boost to the services sector.

However, the UK could slip down the table when the figures come out again next year, with a recent report finding that the value of total goods exports fell by £17.4 billion (4.4 per cent), between 2022 and 2023.

Last month’s Office for National Statistics report said this was primarily because of falling imports and exports of fuels.

China generates the most wealth from exports followed by the United States, Germany and then Britain (file image)

It added that, after adjusting for inflation, the UK imported and exported less in 2023 than it did in 2018.

In another blow to UK business, Britain and Canada paused talks over a new free trade agreement in January, meaning a post-Brexit arrangement with Canada is set to expire.

‘The UK government remains ready to work with Canada to find a solution that works for both countries, but we won’t accept rowing back on the current terms,’ a spokesperson for Britain’s Department for Business and Trade said.

The new import and export data comes as Washington this week warned Beijing against flooding the global market with cheap goods, as China continues to dominate sectors such as solar power and electric vehicles.

During four days of high-level talks in Beijing and Guangzhou, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the US ‘will not accept’ a situation where large volumes of cut price Chinese goods stifle industries elsewhere.

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