Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Business groups welcome launch of export to Europe ‘hotline’

International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan
International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Business groups have welcomed a “one stop shop” helpline to access the information they need to export to Europe following Brexit.

International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan insisted the government was “listening to the needs of businesses” with the development of the export support service which has been launched today.

British businesses will be able to access one-to-one advice via a new phone and online service from the Department for International Trade (DIT).

From queries around rules of origin, to guidance on recognising professional qualifications as well as entering new markets, the service is designed to provide a single point of contact to help exporters navigate a “range of complex information simply and quickly”.

Mike Cherry, national chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said: “In our recent export report we called for a single query point to help small businesses looking to either expand or begin their exporting journeys.

“So we are pleased that government is now creating just that.

“Done right, this will be a major boost for small firms raising their sights to new growth markets around the globe.

“One of the big barriers for small businesses trying to export has been access to key information and we hope this will provide welcome information and guide small exporters onto the market.”

Andy Burwell, CBI International director said: “This new helpline and practical government support for UK exports to Europe is a real step forward, and in line with CBI calls to support firms with their exporting journey.

“A free to use service to help businesses navigate trading with the UK’s biggest market will be hugely beneficial, particularly to SMEs.

“If we are to transform the UK into a trading powerhouse, we need more companies exporting a greater range of products to an increasing number of markets. Our data shows supporting a new generation of SME exporters could boost UK export revenues by an additional £20bn by 2030.”

Ms Trevelyan  said: “We are listening to the needs of businesses and that’s why we’re launching this fantastic new one-stop shop service, making it easier for British companies to export to Europe.

“We are focused on helping exporters fulfil their potential. Having a dedicated export support team at the end of a phone ready to help will ensure they can access the information they need, and get on with the job of selling their world-class products and services abroad, in turn helping the UK to build back better.”

In addition to the website, businesses can access the export support service by calling 0300 303 8955.