Trade volume between both the UAE and the UK increased by 7.4 percent in the first half of this year to Dhs24.45 billion (£5.49 billion), up from Dhs22.76 billion (£5.11 billion) in the same timeframe of the last year.

According to official UK numbers, the UAE's exports to the UK fell by about 16% in the first half of this year to Dhs6.1 billion (£1.37 billion), down from Dhs7.26 billion (£1.63 billion) in the same time last year.

In comparison, the UAE's imports from the UK increased by about 18.4% to Dhs18.35 billion (£4.12 billion) in the six months of this year, up from Dhs15.5 billion (£3.48 billion) in the same time of the previous year.

As a result, the UAE's trade deficit with the Uk has increased by about 49% to Dhs12.25 billion (£2.75 billion) in the first half of this year, up from Dhs8.24 billion (£1.85 billion) in the first half of last year.

Total merchandise trade between the UAE and the UK increased by around 4% in the first quarter of this year to around £2.57 billion (Dhs11.92 billion), up from £2.47 billion (Dhs11.46 billion) in the same duration last year.

According to official UK commercial statistics, the UAE's purchases from the UK increased by about 9.5% in the first three months of this year to £1.85 billion (Dhs8.58 billion), up from £1.69 billion (Dhs7.84 billion) in the same timeframe last year. The UAE's exports to the United Kingdom fell by about 8.6 percent in the first quarter of this year, from £784.38 million (Dhs3.64 billion) in the first quarter of this year to £716.23 million (Dhs3.32 billion) in the same timeframe in last year.