ALTHOUGH I campaigned for Britain to remain in the UK and was disappointed with the outcome, I firmly believe that we as a nation need to harness all of the opportunities that Brexit will deliver us.

One of those opportunities is for us to increase our exports.

A new Government initiative – the Britain is GREAT campaign – aims to showcase the very best of the UK internationally.

It’s a great (pardon the pun) way to promote UK businesses overseas.

One of Theresa May’s first acts as Prime Minister was to establish a dedicated Department for International Trade headed by Liam Fox.

His department is to be responsible for striking and extending trade agreements between the UK and the rest of the world.

Last week he launched GREAT.gov.uk to provide resources for every kind of business, designed to match UK based suppliers with overseas demand.

Businesses that export are more profitable, have greater productivity and are more financially secure.

Exporting contributes to local economies by growing business and creating jobs and prosperity.

However, only 11 per cent of UK businesses export and only 6-7 per cent of UK exporters target the high growth economies such as China and India.

Many businesses have a product or service that could be exported, but mistakenly don’t believe there is the demand, and too often, businesses are unsure of how to get started exporting or take the next step into the global marketplace.

The new GREAT.gov.uk website aims to fill this void and help businesses start exporting, attracting investors, and make doing business abroad as attractive as it is to do at home.

As your MP, I know many local businesses are already fantastically successful at exporting. But I am still keen to see more do so.

I am passionate about helping small and medium-sized businesses grow because it benefits our community, and brings jobs and prosperity to us all.

I want to see a business culture developed where exporting is seen as a natural development of growth.

The new website should be the first place businesses think of when they consider trading abroad, and act as an aggregator for the complex exporting market by signposting to other sources of advice.

All the new services you can find at Great.gov.uk will make it easier to get started or to expand into new markets.

Soon, businesses registered will be able to promote their goods and services to international buyers, search hundreds of export opportunities and access preferential deals that have been negotiated on behalf of UK businesses.

International promotion of the website will begin in the New Year, and the Department for International Trade is encouraging businesses to register as exporters now so that international markets are able to access UK businesses as soon as possible.

So I am asking local businesses to make the most of this new digital service, and let me know how you get on.

The opportunity is out there, and we should be too.