Slightly less, still a costly trade deficit though isn't it?.
Well I guess £8.5bn is 'slightly less' than £12bn in some people's minds
But the trade deficit is very simple to explain...
The UK is mainly a service economy, because it doesn't make much that the EU actually wants or needs.
It is barely 50% self sufficient in food, and is reliant on imports mainly from the EU.
It can't supply enough of it's own required energy needs and again is reliant on foreign imports which flow through or originate in the EU.
And lastly the UK has sold off most off it's assets to the private sector, and much of this has ended up in EU companies/EU Governments investments.
The economics of that trade deficit explained in a nutshell for you
And when we lose financial passporting then it will get far worse...
So maybe you can tell us how the UK will improve it's trade deficit with the EU when we leave?
Or how our trade deficit with the rest of the world will improve when we get all of those 'wonderful trade deals' that we have been promised are the 'easiest in history' to obtain?