Britain rises to eighth in industrial league

The UK is now the eighth largest industrial nation, after manufacturing returned to growth last year, a report today indicates.

The country has climbed one place in the world rankings over the past year, with annual manufacturing output worth more than £183 billion, according to the EEF.

The manufacturers’ group said the largest sector is food and drink (16 per cent) while the chemicals and pharmaceuticals and transport sectors account for 14 per cent of output each.

The north-west of England remains the biggest regional powerhouse, generating more than £24bn in output. Manufacturing also helps power the engine of the West Midlands (£17.5bn) and East Midlands (£15.9bn), with their strength across the aerospace and automotive sectors.

Lee Hopley, chief economist at the EEF, said: “With government facing lots of major policy decisions on everything from our future trading relationship with Europe and the rest of the world to the detail of a long-term industrial strategy, it is vital that they have the right industry facts at their fingertips. Our latest annual fact card reveals that manufacturing’s share of the economy remains stable at 10 per cent, but the sector makes a much larger contribution to vital exports and innovation.”

Paul Brooks of Santander Bank, which helped with the research, added: “Manufacturing remains a key part of the UK economy and it is really encouraging to see that the UK is now the eighth largest manufacturer by output in the world.” 0 Lee Hopley said sector was vital to exports