Specific support has been provided by the government since 2006 to small and medium-sized companies wanting to showcase their products at overseas exhibitions, but after years of budget cuts the initiative has been shelved.
The decision has been negatively compared with the policy of the German federal government, which continues to provide up to €7,500 (£6,570) to small businesses seeking to take part in international trade fairs.
According to recent figures, Germany is third in the league table of the world's biggest exporting countries, behind China and the US, with the UK sitting at 15th.
The founding of the Tradeshow Access Programme for small- and medium-sized businesses was backed by the then chancellor, Gordon Brown, in 2006 as a successor to the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad programme, which had a broader remit to support companies of all sizes.
This story is from the November 21, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 21, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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