Manufacturing growth helps Britain climb up league of industrial nations

BRITAIN IS now the eighth largest industrial nation, after manufacturing returned to growth last year, a new report says.

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

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

The North West remains the biggest regional powerhouse, producing more than £24bn output.

Yorkshire, which employs 293,000 people in the sector, produces £15.5bn output, accounting for 15 per cent of regional output.

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, and that the majority of UK adults believe we should be aiming to be in the top five.”