ONS figures show the total goods and services trade deficit grew by £4.4 billion in the three months to May 2026, compared with the three months to February 2026.
The UK’s total goods and services trade deficit hit £9.1 billion in the three months to May 2026, the Office for National Statistics posted on Tuesday — a widening of £4.4 billion compared with the three months to February 2026. Put alongside the annual picture, the figures show the deficit has nearly doubled year-on-year: the 12 months ending April 2026 produced a £47.9 billion shortfall, up from £24.6 billion in the same period to April 2025.
The deterioration has been building all year. ONS data for Quarter 1 2026 already showed the deficit at £7.7 billion — itself £5.2 billion wider than the previous quarter — with goods imports rising 2.1 per cent in March alone against a 1.9 per cent rise in exports. The goods trade deficit for that quarter stood at £59.3 billion, only partly offset by a services surplus of £52.3 billion. All figures exclude precious metals, in line with standard ONS methodology.
Services are holding up better than goods. In the 12 months to April 2026, services exports rose 6.7 per cent while goods exports fell 2.0 per cent — total exports reached £941.0 billion, up 3.0 per cent on the year before. But the goods side is dragging the overall balance down, and the trend since 2024 is clear: the annual deficit was £20.8 billion that year, rose to £39.1 billion in 2025, and has widened further since.
For Kent, the numbers carry direct weight. The county sits at the heart of UK-EU goods flows, with the Port of Dover, Port of Sheerness, Port of Ramsgate, and the Channel Tunnel terminal at Cheriton handling a hefty share of UK road freight. When import volumes climb faster than exports, that traffic imbalance can affect customs activity, logistics employment, and demand for warehousing across the county. Manufacturers, agri-food producers, and chemical firms based in Kent that sell overseas may also face tougher conditions if the data reflect weakening overseas demand or cost pressures squeezing competitiveness.
One figure worth treating carefully: some commercial media reports have cited a £13.2 billion deficit and a £6.7 billion widening for the same three-month period. Those numbers do not match the ONS-posted figures of £9.1 billion and £4.4 billion and cannot be verified against official sources, so they are not used here.
Economic critics argue a widening deficit points to structural weaknesses in UK goods manufacturing and raises questions about sterling and current account pressure. The Department for Business and Trade tends to frame the picture as mixed, pointing to services growth and the overall rise in export values. Both readings draw on the same ONS data — they just weight the good news differently.
Source: @ONS