The report claims that UKTI is over budget by £100m and is not delivering enough exports to justify its costs.
It recommends that it should slash 90 per cent of jobs in its headquarters, put potential exporters in charge instead of ministers and civil servants and scrap the OMIS service which connects potential exporters with international partners. Report author Tim Ambler said: “The UK is failing to meet Government export goals by a wide margin. The department charged with this responsibility, UKTI, does good work and has good intentions but overall it is poor value for money for the £400m p.a. It costs to UK taxpayers.” Eamonn Butler, director of the Adam Smith Institute, described UKTI as “top-heavy”, and said it doesn’t know how to help exporters succeed. He said: “UKTI has a bureaucratic tick-box culture and there is no clear measure of what it actually does for exports. Businesses complain that its UK staff are office-bound and lack business acumen, while its overseas staff fail to communicate opportunities quickly and effectively to business.” But a UKTI spokesperson said: “This report lacks an understanding of how UKTI operates and does not reflect what business tells us. Last year UKTI helped over 40,000 firms. “More than 90 per cent of UKTI staff are in customer-facing roles providing UK companies with the support they need such as introducing them to potential international customers and not in back office functions as the report suggests.” Reaction: UKTI needs more support, not less
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.