COTSWOLD MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has urged smaller businesses to use Brexit to succeed.

Mr Clifton-Brown described Brexit as a 'golden opportunity' for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) to start exporting more whilst speaking in the House of Commons.

He said: "With 80% of small and medium-sized enterprises reluctant to export, does my right hon. friend agree that the prospect of Brexit gives those firms, particularly those from Scotland, a golden opportunity to use the great British entrepreneurial spirit to go out into the world and succeed?"

Theresa May, the prime minister responded: "Small businesses and entrepreneurs are essential to an economy that is working for everyone.

"The opportunity that comes from Brexit is to see those firms go out and export across the world, and to do those trade deals that will be of benefit to them, to their communities and to our economy.

"We want to encourage more businesses to go out there and export."

As the chairman of the APPG for International Trade and Investment, Mr Clifton-Brown frequently lobbies the government to encourage British firms to export their goods and services internationally.

Commenting afterwards Mr Clifton-Brown said: "Since 2007, UK export performance has been stronger outside the EU than within the Single Market.

"Forging new trade partnerships outside of the EU will certainly be challenging but with this Government’s policy of promoting British trade across international markets I am confident that British small and medium-sized enterprises will prosper in the years ahead."