UK exporters must not be afraid to ask for advice and support from the government and its on-the-ground trade commissioners, says Emma McClarkin, MEP, member of the committee on international trade, European Parliament, and GTR UK 2019 conference chair.

Through the department for international trade and the UK’s export credit agency UK Export Finance there is a lot of information and support to be gained, as well as new initiatives on the horizon, says McClarkin.

“Those opportunities are out there, it’s just about connecting UK trade with them,” she tells GTR.

During the conference, McClarkin called on UK businesses to be more ambitious in their export strategies and seize the opportunities in overseas markets today and once the UK leaves the EU in November.

In this video she talks to GTR about the main takeaways from the event in London and what the UK government is doing to support the country’s exporters.

McClarkin is standing for re-election in what will be her third term as a Conservative MEP for the East Midlands in this week’s European elections. However, UK MEPs elected on Thursday face the prospect of the UK leaving the EU before they take their seats in the new European Parliament. The UK is set to leave the EU on October 31, and Prime Minister Theresa May plans to put forward her withdrawal bill for a fourth time next week.

Additional reporting by Eleanor Wragg