North Yorkshire imports hundreds of millions of pounds from the EU in the services sector
The Confederation of British Industry said the numbers show the importance of a good Brexit deal with the European Union, which must put services “at the heart” of future trading.
Opposition parties are urging the Government to seek an extension to the current transition period in light of the “catastrophic economic impact” of the coronavirus outbreak.
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Hide AdData from the Office for National Statistics, published for the first time, shows North Yorkshire imported services worth £252 million in 2017, excluding travel.
The CBI said services are “essential to our prosperity in towns up and down the country”, though often invisible to our daily life.
Nicole Sykes, the lobby group’s head of UK-EU negotiations, said: “These figures show clearly that trade with the EU, especially in services makes it really important we get a good services deal.”
Though the value of the travel industry for this area is not available, figures show it was the largest type of EU service import to Yorkshire and the Humber, and is worth £2.42 billion.
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Hide AdA Government spokesman said that since 2000, UK imports of services from the rest of the world has increased faster than those from the EU.
He added: “As a new independent trading nation, we will have the opportunity to strike free trade agreements which will be a key driver in levelling up the UK, benefiting every region and nation.”
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