Between the 3 months to January 2017 and the 3 months to April 2017, the total trade deficit (goods and services) widened by £1.7 billion to £8.6 billion; this followed a narrowing in the 3 months to January 2017 and is mainly due to increased imports in March 2017.

At the commodity level, the main causes of the widening of the deficit in the 3 months to April 2017 were increased imports of aircraft, cars and chemicals; however, there was a fall in exports of services during the period.

The UK's total trade deficit (goods and services) narrowed by £1.8 billion between March and April 2017 to £2.1 billion, following a widening in March 2017; this reflects a decrease in imports of goods on the month, with import levels of total trade moving back to the levels seen in February 2017.