International trade secretary Liz Truss has announced the creation of four new hubs across the UK to boost trade and investment.

The hubs, which will be located in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, and Darlington, are part of a new strategy to boost exports.

The government said that the hubs will give exporters a direct feed into UK trade policy and will give them the opportunity to take advantage of fast-growing markets like the Indo-Pacific region.

It explained that these locations will also create a “critical link” between the regions and the resources of the Office For Investment, which is a joint initative with the prime minister’s office, to channel investment money into every UK nation and region.

The sites will have teams of export and investment specialists who can help businesses better access trade markets like India, the US, and Japan, and feed directly into the Department of International Trade’s free trade agreements programme.

550 staff are expected to be working at the hubs by 2025, with an ambition to increase this to 750 staff by 2030.

“I’m determined to use UK trade policy to benefit every part of the UK. These Trade and Investment Hubs will help this country to an export and jobs-led recovery,” said international trade secretary, Liz Truss. “They will mean we can channel investment into all corners of the country, and that exporters – whether they’re selling Scotch beef, Welsh Lamb or cars made in the North of England – have access to the expertise they need to sell into the fastest growing markets.”

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