The SNP have said "independence is the only way to keep Scotland safe from the long-term damage of Boris Johnson's hard Tory Brexit" – as new statistics suggest the UK will tumble out of Germany's top 10 trading partners for the first time in 70 years.

Official data, from the Federal Statistics Office, reveals Germans spent £13.8 billion less on British goods in the first six months of 2021 – a drop of around 11%.

It puts the UK on course to drop out of Germany's top 10 trading partners for the first time since 1950.

The UK has fallen from fifth place in 2016 to ninth place in 2020, and is expected to fall to eleventh place by 2022.

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It comes as German companies increasingly source goods from EU suppliers instead of UK ones.

Businesses have complained about the additional costs, checks, red tape and barriers to trade due to Brexit.

Michael Schmidt, president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany, told Reuters: "For many small British firms, Brexit meant losing access to their most important export market. It's like shooting yourself in the foot. And this explains why German imports from Britain are in free fall now."

Gabriel Felbermayr, president of the Institute for the World Economy, added: "The UK's loss of importance in foreign trade is the logical consequence of Brexit."

It follows new analysis from the House of Commons Library, using IMF data, which revealed the UK is the only country in north west Europe to suffer from declining exports since the Brexit vote in 2016.

While Ireland has seen the biggest increase in the volume of exports of goods and services, at almost +50%, the UK has seen a decline of -5.5%.

Commenting, SNP international trade spokesperson Drew Hendry MP said: "It's now beyond doubt that Boris Johnson's hard Brexit has been a disaster for the UK economy, especially Scotland – costing us billions of pounds and causing UK exports to fall into decline.

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"Scotland didn't vote for Brexit but the Tory government has made sure we've paid a high price - with Scottish businesses already losing millions, and Scotland projected to be £9bn worse off by 2030 compared to continued EU membership.

"The UK is the only country in north west Europe to have seen a downturn in exports since the Brexit referendum – every neighbouring European country has seen their exports increase. The facts are clear – the UK is demonstrably poorer and worse off as a result of this Tory hard Brexit.

"Scotland deserves better than this. Independent countries of Scotland's size have seen the biggest increase in exports of our European neighbours – and with independence Scotland can do the same.

"Independence is the only way to keep Scotland safe from the long-term damage of Boris Johnson's hard Tory Brexit – and it is the only way to build the strong, fair and equal recovery we all want to see.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “It is too early to draw firm conclusions on the long-term impact of our new trading relationship with the EU and the rest of the world due to the impact of the pandemic and its restrictions on trade.

“We’ve secured deals with 68 countries plus the EU, worth over £740bn of trade, securing jobs in every region and nation of the UK. 

“Our trade strategy will couple Britain with the world’s fastest-growing, major economies – particularly in the Indo-Pacific – and cementing our place as an innovative global hub for digital and services.”