Irish Sea Border: UK exports to Ireland show 'sharp improvement'

Trade between the UK and Ireland showed a sharp improvement in April, official figures suggest.

UK goods exports to Ireland were worth just over £2bn according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That was up 11% from £1.8bn in March and up by 43% on April last year.

The April 2020 performance will have been unusually low due to the pandemic, but the April 2021 figure was still higher than that month in 2019 or 2018.

The ONS figures do not break down UK exports between those originating in Great Britain and those coming from Northern Ireland.

Ireland's Central Statistics Office does provide that breakdown and its figures suggest that since the start of the year a steep fall in imports from GB is being partly compensated by a rise in imports from NI.

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NI is still in the EU's single market for goods meaning that, unlike GB, it still has frictionless trade with Ireland.

UK imports from Ireland were worth £1.1bn in April, little changed either on a monthly or annual basis.

The ONS figures suggest that Ireland-UK trade has not suffered the same volatility as trade flows in the other direction.

That may be because the UK has not yet started implementing border controls on goods.