Potteries Industry Would Be ‘Decimated’ By No-Deal Brexit Zero-Tariff Plan, Say Stoke MPs

Highlighting that potteries makes the same contribution to the UK economy as fisheries – a £2bn annual turnover and £600m of export sales – the two MPs said: “Our city, Stoke-on-Trent was built on ‘pits’ and ‘pots’.

“Like most industry in the ’70s and ’80s, both the pits and the pots suffered horribly at the hands of Thatcherite economic policies and rampant globalisation. The pits didn’t survive. 

“But thankfully the story is very different for the ceramic sector. Once considered to be another industry on the scrapheap, a resurgence in fortune is seeing jobs return to the potteries where we are ensuring that the fashion for ‘made in England’ tableware is now as big as it ever was.”   

Trade secretary Liam Fox looks set to use ministerial powers to amend the Trade Bill to slash tariffs. But May’s cabinet is reportedly split over the plan, with Remainers such as business secretary Greg Clark thought to be against it. 

The MPs added: “In a stroke of a pen, the Department of International Trade could kill off one of our oldest and proudest industries. 

“And to achieve what? We both want to deliver a Brexit deal for our constituents but it has to be a Brexit that works for the Potteries not one that will decimate our remaining manufacturing base.” 

Laura Cohen, chief executive of the British Ceramic Confederation, has been holding talks with ministers in a bid to get Fox to change course. 

“Research shows it won’t actually work, as tariff savings are rarely passed on to customers,” she said. “But zero tariffs will destroy the proud history of ‘making things’ in Britain.

“It will also be difficult to do trade deals as we’ve got less to negotiate with.
“This cuts to the heart of the sort of country we want to be.”