Charts in Focus: UK's Regional Trade Deficit as Imports Outpace Exports

Chancellor George Osborne wants to boost the value of UK exports to £1tn across a decade as part of his longer-term vision for economic recovery.

One problem is that the Treasury is still struggling with is getting two multi-billion export finance schemes off the ground.

Both the Direct Lending Scheme, worth £1.5bn (€1.7bn, $2.3bn) and the Export Refinancing Facility, worth £5bn, are being held up as wonks try to work out how to get them through EU state aid law.

There's also another hurdle to overcome - the UK's reliance on imports. The country runs a big trade deficit driven by goods, which was £9bn in March. There is often a surplus in the UK's services trading.

This chart, just published by HMRC, shows a regional breakdown of the goods trade data. Just a handful of the regions exported more than they imported in 2013's first quarter - Scotland, Wales and the North East of England:

It's a deficit that looks like it will only get worse. Two more charts from HMRC show just how much faster the growth in number of importers is than exporters in the first quarter alone.