Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

Freight lorries queue at the port of Dover. UK goods exports to the EU 2021-2023 were down by 27% compared with staying inside the free trade zone, the IPPR report said. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/Getty Images

A slump in trade with the EU should spur ministers to negotiate a fundamental rewrite of post-Brexit rules to more closely align the UK with Brussels, a leading left-of-centre thinktank has said.

Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House next week should also encourage the government to get on the front foot in trade agreement talks with the US to support the growth of UK exports, said the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).