Oh dear. From that very BBC report:-
Quote:
As well as manufacturers rushing to deliver orders before the UK was due to leave the EU, firms also stockpiled parts.
This drove a surge in imports, with the total trade deficit - the gap between what the UK imports and exports - doubling in the first quarter to a record high, separate data from the ONS showed.
The total trade deficit widened from £8.9bn to £18.3bn, driven partly by a sharp increase in imports of cars and gold.
Yup. Record trade deficit, £18.3bn. Recall that Harold Wilson's Labour government unexpectedly lost the 1970 election, having started the campaign 12 points ahead of Edward Heath's Conservatives, because of the last-minute report on polling day itself of a surprise £31 million trade deficit, of which £20 million was accounted for simply by the order of two Boeing 747s for BOAC that month. And the current deficit is about 30 times worse even allowing for inflation.
Incidentally, there are still two members of the House who stood and won in 1970: Ken Clarke and Dennis Skinner.