Not enough help for us, say exporters

EXPORTERS complained of a disappointing lack of help from the PBR, given the dire state of British industry's overseas revenues.

Their plight was highlighted today by figures that showed r Britain's trade deficit with the rest of the world widened unexpectedly.

Official figures showed the trade gap widened to £7.1 billion in October from £6.9 billion in September as imports rose faster than exports despite the weak pound. City economists looking for an export-led recovery were hoping for a deficit of £6.85 billion.

"It's pretty depressing," said Alan Clarke, economist at BNP Paribas. "We were hoping part of the recovery would come from trade, but so far it's just not happening."