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Don’t forget us, freight industry tells politicians

[ April 27, 2015   //   ]

Whoever ends up moving into Number 10 in May must I must not overlook the vital role of international trade facilitation to the UK economy, says British International Freight Association (BIFA) director general, Robert Keen. Joined-up thinking is still needed on the many issues facing UK import and export traffic, he said.
“The new government must address those issues that impact on the global supply chain, such as security, Customs, EU legislation and international trade treaties. Whilst it must meet important objectives in a co-ordinated and balanced manner, it should be done without creating barriers to trade,” he said.
Keen also wants to see greater focus on the value of freight transport and logistics in Westminster and for government to help logistics companies to develop more effective ways to manage international supply chains.
Important issues for the new government to consider include the state of the UK road infrastructure and congestion which “needs to be planned out of all modes of UK transport.”
Moreover, ports and harbours “require strong support and strategic thinking”. There should also be continued initiatives to boost exports as in the last government’s final budget.
But, Keen added, “perhaps the most important thing for the new government to deal with is airport capacity. We can only hope that after the general election in May 2015, the welter of evidence as presented will be such that there will be cross-party consensus and politicians will give the green light and adopt the Airports Commission’s recommendations in full and finally get things started on an much overdue expansion of UK aviation hub capacity.”

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