Find a news story

or

JOIN US Help us turn Britain around

Join today

Keep up to date
Get the latest Conservative news sent straight to you

News story

Trade deficit shows reality of Britain's plight

Tuesday, January 13 2009

Alan Duncan

Alan Duncan has expressed his concern after new export figures showed that Britain's trade deficit is at a record high.

Data from the Office of National Statistics revealed the goods deficit widened to £8.3 billion in November last year; in October, the deficit was £7.6 billion.

Alan, the Shadow Business Secretary, said, "The fact that this is the worst statistic on record gives serious cause for alarm. Along with the collapsed pound, this deficit shows the reality of Britain's plight."

He stressed that with firms unable to sell their products abroad, Gordon Brown's claims of a rapid recovery are "hopelessly optimistic."

And he warned, "The truth is that ten years of economic mismanagement has left our economy completely unprepared to deal with the downturn, and a clear route out of the pain seems a long way off."

Rt Hon Alan Duncan

Alan is the Minister for International Development.

Read more
Duncan Alan 2007