Car industry calls for closer EU trade relations

BREXIT has made trade for the North East's key automotive sector more difficult, a new report from an industry group says.

- GRAEME WHITFIELD

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has published a report to mark five years since Brexit, in which it says that “leaving the EU has fundamentally altered trade conditions between the UK, the EU and other major trading partners”.

The report highlights “significant costs” from new customs and border requirements, which have come alongside other challenges such as rising protectionism from some countries and geopolitical uncertainty.