According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Britain’s deficit on trade in goods with EU countries narrowed to £8.1 billion in October from record £8.6 billion in September.
Compared with October 2015, the trade gap increased by 7%.
Trade in goods with non-EU countries narrowed to £1.6 billion from £5.3 billion in the previous month.
The deficit on trade in goods and services in October 2016 was £1.971 billion, compared with a deficit of £5.812 billion in September 2016. From October 2015, the deficit has halved.
In October 2016, the deficit on trade in goods was £9.7 billion, 30% down from the prior month. Compared with October 2015, the deficit has narrowed by 16%.
In September, Britain’s exports increased by 8.7% to £26.8 billion from September. Imports declined by 5.2% to £36.5 billion.