This anti growth government that has done so much to kill growth in our domestic market now goes in search of growth from EU trade. It has banned our businesses getting out more oil and gas, put strict limits on how many petrol and diesel cars our motor industry can sell prior to a complete ban on their best selling lines in 2030, taxed people out of jobs and increased closures of pubs, shops, entertainment businesses and the rest. It has followed a strong de industrialisation policy,is trying to close down as much industrial capacity as possible that dares to use fossil fuels by imposing high carbon and windfall taxes and bans. It refuses to offer grants to farmers to farm but will offer them money to stop growing food and rearing animals.
It is true our exporters do create jobs, pay people good wages and boost our GDP. If its more exports the government wants to replace its dwindling home output of manufactures, energy and food, then it should go to the places that buy lots of our exports, are buying more year by year and want to do business with us. Both in and now out of the EU our trade with non EU countries has been growing faster than with the EU. Both in and out our trade in services have expanded rapidly, especially with non EU countries. The quickest wins for more exports are trade deals and government backing for more exports of our services to the rest of the world beyond the EU to countries that speak English and like what we do.
Our trade in goods with the EU sees us in massive deficit. In 2024 we imported £313bn of EU goods but exported little more than half that at £174 bn. We import lots of refined oil products as we close down more of our own refineries in the name of net zero. We are importing plenty of crude oil as we refuse to get more of our own out of the ground. We are importing large numbers of cars as the government squeezes our own industry to closure brought on by high taxes on petrol and diesel cars made at home. We import plenty of vegetables and fruit we could grow for ourselves as government policy seeks to dissuade farmers from growing things. We also import a lot of European medicines and electrical products.
Our balance of trade in goods is bound to get worse with the EU on current policies. Our past top exports to them of oil, refined oil products, vehicles, chemicals and miscellaneous manufactures are all being hammered by the government’s high energy anti industry policies. Our services exports to the EU are growing but at a slower pace than with the rest of the world.
The government is wrong to think making sacrifices to try to get more trade with the EU will help us grow faster. Loosening rules on trade will help them more than us given the huge imbalance in trade in goods and the impact of their restrictive rules on farming and making things.
What would make a big difference is import substitution. That would boost growth. If only the government would follow policies that encouraged us to get out more of our own oil and gas, keep open our refineries, run chemical works with sensibly priced feedstock, and boost domestic entertainment, hospitality and tourism we would cut the big EU balance of trade deficit, create more jobs at home and enjoy faster growth. Imports subtract from GDP.
January 31, 2026
Indeed in short the government need to do complete U-turns on every single policy they push. Abandon net zero, scrap the tenants rights bill, scrap the workers rights bill, scrap VAT on school fees, halve the size of the state, cut taxes, stop the wars on motorists, landlords, the self employed, small business…
They say Growth, Growth, Growth is their number on priority and yet they insanely push endless policies that do the complete reverse.
January 31, 2026
Net Stupid is their number one priority and this involves mass deindustrialisation, less farming activity and electrifying business and households. The next 5 year plan of destruction sees the banning of certain polluting ships from UK waters, closing down regional airports and restrictions on flying for the masses. Of course this isn’t going to happen because everywhere you look, people are questioning the governments motives. Even the thickest liebour supporter must now wonder why when there’s a gluten of LNG our bills continue to rise. Very shortly according to NESO electricity rationing will be necessary as aged plants get retired.
As more and more people get marginalised by the policies of this government whether through unemployment freezing to death or just being barred from doing things, a powder keg is developing and 2TK is well aware of it. Prioritising the boat people over the poorest in our society is a recipe for trouble and there are many who will exploit it.
January 31, 2026
And Pigs might Fly LL
Labour has driven the bus up the wrong side of the Motorway. The driver & passengers can all see the traffic hurling towards them. The driver keeps shouting “Hold on, it will all be OK” – as he dodges the oncoming traffic. The passengers can’t get off, so have no choice but to pray for an off-exit before they hit something head on.
January 31, 2026
Exactly growth is their first priority yet everything they do is profoundly anti-growth.
I caught Kemi on Desert Island Discs yesterday. Sensible lass but with an immpossible job (words left out ed) and somewhat odd music tastes too. But why no Sir JR on Desert Island Discs or indeed on R3’s Private Passions? Is this due to the BBC or JR?
Reply Entirely the BBC. They rarely invite me on, never run the important stories I get onto GB News and other outlets .In the last year they once put me on to try to neutralise or caricature my views of Brexit.
January 31, 2026
A great shame – I am sure loads of people would like to hear it/them. An honest, honourable and consistently right politician for over 40 odd years would be a very pleasant change for the BBC. Hopefully they will do this and ditch their irritating and entirely counterproductive pro BBC licence fee advertsthat they keep wasting licence fee payers money on.
You pay the licence fee then they use it to indoctrinate you – rather like taxes and governments but with the BBC you do not even get a vote!
January 31, 2026
‘ Consistently right’ – I assume you mean correct?
January 31, 2026
Mr Redwood is preaching to the converted on this site. Why not write a balanced piece and offer it to The Guardian? Ministers read that, they don’t read this site.
Reply I do write for the Guardian when they want me to. They do mot want an article at the moment.
January 31, 2026
Perhaps the contrast with the BBC who have been so consistently wrong for 40+ years is too embarrassing for them?
January 31, 2026
Ah! SJ as usual your piece when it comes to EU is largely weighed by ideological whackery like the need for services to countries beyond the EU that speak english and like what we do – and there’s no argument or reasoning with that.
January 31, 2026
There is proof – orders and receipts.
January 31, 2026
As I understand the details so far the trade deal with China is projected to increase our exports by a mere GBP 2.2bn. That is about 0.07% of GDP. It does not account for any agreed offsetting UK imports which will reduce that figure.
Starmer clearly wasted his time and Britain got rinsed.
January 31, 2026
Everything this appalling Government has done has damaged the economy. They talk the talk of growth, but every policy they have implemented has reduced the chances of kick-starting it.
I ignore what they say and watch what they do. The Government is working in the interests of the Globalist Establishment, not the people.
In my opinion, the Establishment’s over-riding objective is to get us into Associate Membership of the EU – the “outer tier” of the EU, when it is created post the Ukraine War.
Prior to the Referendum, the Treasury and Bank of England warned us that if we dared to even VOTE for Brexit, there would be significant damage to our economy. They were wrong; it didn’t happen even though the Not-a-Conservative-Party did very little to actually implement Brexit having, finally, got it over the line.
Now the Treasury and Bank of England are ensuring that it does, prior to a campaign to justify a Labour Manifesto Commitment to apply for Associate Membership after the next General Election … which Labour had confidently expected to win after the landslide of 2025.
It’s why we are starting to hear demands to rejoin the Customs Union and Single Market, particularly from Labour Leader-Wannabe, Wes Streeting.
The economy is being deliberately sabotaged.
January 31, 2026
@Reply – I suggest we must stop saying “they” – what was the programme, who were the producer and interviewer responsible. Do not let these people in the establishment and positions of authority hide behind the corporate facades of the BBC etc. They must be held properly accountable for their actions and decisions and there must be tangible consequences for their abuse of position.
The first step is full transparency.
January 31, 2026
Import Substitution – so how will the UK rebuild it’s manufacturing capabilities and capacity? Even if you have a radical change of government the city has no interest or motivation for such a long term project and the consumer doesn’t give a fig.
January 31, 2026
When the consumer has nothing to consume he gives a fig.
The day when we can’t afford to import is in the foreseeable future.
January 31, 2026
Indeed.
But that all goes against dominant policies pushed hard by the CCC and a government that is full of net-0 believers. The worship of alleged climate change is rife across our authorities.
Many socialists decry religion because they claim there is no proof that God exists, and yet blindly follow a false science that is unable to provide a complete link between Man and a naturally changing climate. This falls into the category of Earth worship over common sense and supporting human endeavours for better survival.
January 31, 2026
Closer EU ties, and a EU trade deal. All great to prove you are subservient to the EU, it boosts EU trade but kills UK trade. Its about the EU selling to the UK not vice versa, it also dictates who the UK can have trading relationships with. Already 2TK has given the EU the powers over how we can obtain energy from Nuclear, consent is not from an increasingly redundant Parliament but from parliaments master in the EU.
It gives the EU more control over the UK.
Parliament will of course agree as they do not like having to manage and take responsibility
January 31, 2026
“It has followed a strong de industrialisation policy,is trying to close down as much industrial capacity as possible that dares to use fossil fuels by imposing high carbon and windfall taxes and bans.”
Yes, correct, this is the Uniparty’s Net Zero plan. Socialism depends upon making and keeping people poor and the entirely false CAGW hoax that increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 through anthropogenic emissions will cause a climate crisis has been devised to de-industrialise the West and cause de-industrialisation leading to impoverishment and national insecurity.
Reply There is no Uniparty. Conservatives want to reverse the damaging net zero policies.m
January 31, 2026
PS: Net Zero also provides an enormous sink hole for vast amounts of wasted human effort that could be used to improve our exports and hence national wealth and vast amounts of useless expenditure designed to make our lives more expensive, more difficult and to keep taxes high. According to Professor Gordon Hughes of the Renewable Energy Foundation the UK taxpayer has already funded £220bn in renewable subsidies (£8000/household) since 2002 (2024 prices) and is currently funding £26bn/year. NESO say their Clean Power 2030 project will cost “over £40bn annually”. This is in addition to all the disruption and expense of the forced transition to evs and heat pumps. It is time we had a referendum on whether or not to continue along this Net Zero path which NESO has costed at £9 tn if the carbon taxes are added.
January 31, 2026
I surmise that life in the UK is akin to being in a conquered occupied nation where all our assets are being stripped out for the benefit of other nations in the World .
The only redeeming feature being the great escape in planning by Reform.
January 31, 2026
The only growth the Labour Party really want is in Taxation receipts, Benefit payments, and Government control, which is the complete opposite of what is needed for growing the economy.
They also have growth in unwanted immigration, unemployment, and National debt.
Thus failure is staring them in the face.
If they ever looked in the mirror they will just see a blank face with the shadow of Conservative Party on their shoulders.
No wonder Reform are doing well in the Polls.
January 31, 2026
A perfect summary in your article today. But as I have said before, why is this Government too thick, too ignorant or just too stupid to see it? In an uncertain world, we need to be as self-sufficient as possible. So is it deliberate Labour policy to try to destroy the UK economy? Do their MPs never talk to anybody outside their left-wing ghetto? It is as if they can’t see beyond the end of their nose. With their popularity plunging, and their PM having the worst rating of any PM except for Sunak, do they not ask themselves why?
There are none so blind as those who will not see sums us this Government and its MPs.
January 31, 2026
It’s clear that the argument for renewable energy has changed from “saving the planet” to “ home-grown energy security”. But the Uniparty, led by the EU, has refused to accept that the only CO2 emission free energy that can be secure as well as abundant and affordable is nuclear. Renewables have too low an EROEI to maintain our current civilisation. As a former head of National Grid said a few years ago: “We need to get used to using electricity as and when it is available”. Well, at least until the wind always blows and the sun always shines.
January 31, 2026
world-nuclear.org 26/01/2026 ‘Nuclear power in the European Union’.
Isn’t it wonderful to be able to write about any topic without ever checking (even a teeny weeny little bit) what one is about to write about?
February 1, 2026
What are you whinging about now?
The document confirms everything said.
Interesting that it treats The European Union as ‘a country’
HOME / INFORMATION LIBRARY / COUNTRY PROFILES / OTHERS / EUROPEAN UNION
One of the least Democratic, poorest and in deepest trouble on earth. Even the trains no longer run on time 🤭
February 1, 2026
I agree Lynn.
Only 22% of the EU’s electricity is from nuclear generation, with several EU members opposed to nuclear power eg Germany.
Here in the UK nuclear power generation.has declined since 1997 26% to 15% in 2025
Original Richard was correct.
February 1, 2026
For the countries that use nuclear energy to provide electricity the fraction is between 20 and 64% (Table 1). A number of countries have near zero production.
It is therefore ridiculous to do what OR does to characterise this as a EU policy. There’s much more diversity under the sun.
And the follow-up reactions are as usual ridiculous (hello Sammy).
February 1, 2026
Well hello heffy
My figures as stated are correct.
You originally gave us a link to an article which was about..”Nuclear power in the European Union”…which I read.
Now you alter the argument to removing those EU members who have no nuclear and give us figures for those remaining EU members who do have nuclear power.
Ridiculous… I agree.
February 1, 2026
Yes Sam, Germany tried the same trick as it played with extermination camps. All located outside Germany. So the nuclear power it uses has been from nuclear power plants in France and elsewhere so it could say it had dispensed with nuclear power – when that was unpopular.
We are all tired of this playtime with words – we judge them by their fruit and the EU has produced sweet sod all.
But that is not stated overtly in an official report, so Hefner will not know that.🤭
February 1, 2026
energy.ec.europa.eu 13/03/2024 ‘In focus: EU nuclear energy policy – why it matters to all of us’.
1/ OR was wrong, there is not a EU-defined nuclear energy policy.
2/ Even more wrong, the EU in fact supports the development of NE (including SMRs) but lets the individual countries decide.
No need to lose your rag, Lynn (and mini-me).
February 1, 2026
1. OR never claimed there was an EU defined policy on nuclear.
2. Lynn and I did not lose our rag.
February 1, 2026
Chancellor Merz admitted a few days ago that Germany had made a massive error in closing down its nuclear power stations.
In the last 18 months the EU has started the equivalent of a screeching handbrake U-turn on the issue of nuclear energy because it has realised that windmills and solar are unreliable and a reliable source of energy is essential to keep the lights on, the factories running …. and to power the AI data centres.
February 1, 2026
Exactly Donna.
Hefner only reads ‘official reports’ selectively and believes any rubbish included.
He is very confused which is a shame, but also very aggressive which is unacceptable.
January 31, 2026
“If it’s more exports the government wants…then it should go to the places that buy lots of our exports, are buying more year by year and want to do business with us…[going] beyond the EU to countries that speak English and like what we do.”
Exactly so, but that would need a government department with stats skills, and globally networked contacts, and a thirst for export. It speaks volumes that our DTI has been replaced by a Department with the Blairite title of ‘Innovation, Universities and Skills’ – which is a machine for *importing* still more migrants, and propping up a ponzi scheme to enrich the admin bods of academia.
February 1, 2026
Trotskyite Starmer has just been off to commune with his fellow communists in China and has proudly announced that his vist has resulted in massive investments by British industry in China.
It’s enough to make one look forward to the caliphate that the Islamist allies of Starmer’s Gang that he encourages to set up back home in Britain.
Britain needs a new constitution giving the voters the emans of making and implementing a collective decision to get rid of the government. We cannot afford to wait until Starmer’s Gang deigns to seek our vote. There is no guarantee of a general election in 2029. In fact the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 automatically dissolves parliament in 2029, removing all MPs, but leaves the government in office. Just imagine Starmer’s Gang in office and a total absence of scrutiny, let alone opposition, in parliament. It will not be able to resist the temptation to impose a one-party state.
February 3, 2026
Dear Mr Redford,
Thanks to the release of the Epstein files we now know this country bailed out the E.U. in 2010 under Gordon brown to the tune of £624 Billion, can you confirm this figure please. I do remember after Brexit the E.U. stated the U.K. owed Billions for pensions etc and there was talk of the money the E.U. owed us which did not make sense until now, so do they still owe all this money to the U.K. and when will it be repaid as we are hardly in a position to lend anyone any money.