Exports surge on Brexit fears

Britain enjoyed the biggest surge in exports for more than 13 years in April after Brexit fears sparked sharp falls in the value of the pound.

Official figures showed exports jumped by 9.1% between March and April to hit £26.1 billion, the fastest monthon-month growth since January 2003.

This helped the UK’s overall trade gap narrow to £3.3bn in April, the smallest since September.

The data from the Office for National Statistics comes after the pound weakened ahead of this month’s EU referendum, making British goods more attractive to overseas buyers.

Sterling hit a three-week low against the US dollar on Monday, falling as much as 0.9% to $1.43, after polls showed the Brexit campaign gaining the lead, although it has since bounced back to $1.45 after fresh surveys put the Remain camp ahead.