The latest research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Insights Unit, involving over 1,800 exporters, shows the balance of overseas export orders remains in negative territory.

The survey, carried out between Tuesday 18 August and Tuesday 15 September, found that 21% of exporters reported an increase in export orders, while 23% reported a fall, and 56% reported no change.

This was up from a low of 16% reporting increased orders in Q2 of 2026, but still below the 25% reported in Q1.

The size of a firm also played a role with just 16% of micro-exporters, with fewer than 10 employees, reporting increased export orders in Q3 (11% in Q2), 25% reported a fall, and 58% reported no change.

In contrast, 31% of large exporters, with 250 staff or more, saw a boost in overseas orders (26% in Q2), 13% reported a decrease, and 56% said they’d seen no change.

The picture is substantially different to the performance before Brexit, Covid, the war in Ukraine, US tariffs and other geopolitical disruption. In Q2 2018, 31% of all firms saw increased export orders and 14% a decrease.

Additional costs of sending any items to Europe has now totally killed the European market for our company.

William Bain

William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:

“It is clear the UK’s exporters are struggling to make any headway as they continue to be buffeted by unpredictable global headwinds.

“Uncertainty over how, and when, the conflict in the Middle East will be resolved, alongside its associated pressure on costs, shipping and demand continue to make life difficult.

“Every sector is feeling the pinch, but it is worrying that we are consistently seeing services underperform manufacturing, when they have been the backbone of our export growth since Brexit.

“If Andy Burnham is serious about creating a stronger economy, then increasing the UK’s exports must be central to that drive.

“The EU Reset is an obvious moment to shift the dynamics around what is possible, but this must also be accompanied by much stronger export support for businesses.

“The Chancellor has an opportunity in the Budget to invest in helping firms expand overseas by restoring export support funding to every region.

“There must be a level-playing field for funding if growth in every post-code is to be more than just a campaign slogan.”