This was down to a sharp decrease in exports of goods to China. (Services exports were up, but not enough to offset the decline in goods). Here is the table:
In the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025, the UK exported £15.6 billion worth of goods and £13.2 billion worth of services.
On the imports side, £67.3 billion was goods and £3.4 billion was services.
Here's what Britain exports to China:
The cars are top end vehicles like Bentley and Jaguar. The crude oil exports will start to decline thanks to Labour's ban on new drilling in the North Sea.
Services exports look like this:
The travel represents Chinese tourists visiting Britain.
Here's the breakdown of goods exports by region:
Given that China is so self-sufficient in goods, it's difficult for the UK to close the deficit. The main avenue would be exporting more crude oil and welcoming more Chinese tourists.