The intervention comes as Westminster considers whether to include the EU’s strategic manufacturing push in negotiations scheduled for later this year. The move signals potential tension between boosting European competitiveness and maintaining the frictionless trade that underpins UK-EU commerce.
Ben Fletcher, Chief Executive of Logistics UK, said the sector backed efforts to strengthen European supply chain resilience, but warned against measures that could damage trade flow.
“The UK and EU have some of the most closely integrated supply chains in the world, with goods, components and raw materials crisscrossing borders every day,” Fletcher said. “Any ‘Made in Europe’ policy should reflect this reality, rather than introducing new rules that force businesses to restructure established European supply chains or make UK-produced goods less competitive in our largest trading market.”
The call reflects mounting frustration across the logistics sector over persistent trade friction since Brexit. Customs checks, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, and regulatory divergence continue to add cost and delay to goods movement, undermining competitiveness on both sides of the Channel.
Logistics UK’s analysis suggests that closing the UK’s trade-intensity gap with the EU could generate £12 billion in additional economic output. But Fletcher stressed that “Made in Europe” rules of origin must be designed to benefit genuinely integrated supply chains, not isolate UK producers.
“Europe, including the UK, will become more competitive and resilient by strengthening the supply chains connecting trusted trading partners, not by putting new barriers between them,” he added.