‘East West trade is essential for UK growth’ was how ministers sold Intertrade UK when it first gathered in Enniskillen in February 2025. Eighteen months on, the Northern Ireland Office has confirmed that Baroness Foster will stay in the chair, with a press release published on 28 August 2026 announcing her reappointment to lead the advisory body. (gov.uk) In the same announcement, the department confirmed fresh terms for four well-known business voices in Northern Ireland: Ulster University economist Dr Esmond Birnie, Institute of Directors Northern Ireland director Kirsty McManus, Northern Ireland Chamber chief executive Suzanne Wylie and Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland head Roger Pollen. (gov.uk)

Intertrade UK is not a regulator or delivery agency. GOV.UK describes it as a non-statutory advisory body set up to advise on and promote trade within the United Kingdom, with a brief to help businesses expand activity across the UK market. (gov.uk) The commitment to create it was made in the Safeguarding the Union command paper published in January 2024, and its terms say the group should also tackle misconceptions in Great Britain about supplying goods and services into Northern Ireland. In plain English, the board exists to deal with the trade friction and confusion that still sit between policy papers and everyday business. (gov.uk)

When the board first met in Enniskillen on 28 February 2025, Baroness Foster said the panel brought ‘a wealth of experience’ on trade in and out of Northern Ireland. GOV.UK said members were due to adopt their terms of reference and agree an 18-month work programme at that first session. (gov.uk) The current membership page still lists CBI Northern Ireland director Angela McGowan alongside Baroness Foster and the other members, though the 28 August 2026 reappointment notice only named the chair and four board members. Taken together, that points to continuity rather than a clear change of direction. (gov.uk)

Recent documents show the board has been working through a very Northern Ireland set of issues. Intertrade UK has published advice or correspondence this year on ports connectivity, barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, vehicle type approvals, the EU Product Liability Directive, road haulage, veterinary medicines and the use of artificial intelligence in the Windsor Framework ‘One Stop Shop’ guidance service. (gov.uk) That mix tells its own story. The job is not simply to cheerlead for the UK internal market, but to get into the nuts and bolts of how goods, rules and business support work in practice for firms moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (gov.uk)

There has also been a clear North West presence in the group’s recent work. An official update published on 22 July 2026 said the board visited Foyle Port, heard from port leaders about their practical experience under GB-NI trading arrangements and met representatives from Londonderry Chamber of Commerce about opportunities and challenges facing business in the region. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) The same update said Intertrade UK was preparing research into GB-NI trade frictions and stronger intra-UK infrastructure connectivity, alongside public events aimed at promoting business opportunities across the UK internal market. That is why these reappointments matter beyond Belfast and Westminster alike. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

For Baroness Foster and the reappointed members, the next phase is easy enough to state and much harder to deliver. Intertrade UK has government backing and a continuing work programme, but it remains a non-statutory advisory body, so its clout still depends on whether ministers act on the advice it sends up the chain. (gov.uk) For business readers across Northern Ireland and the wider North, the test will be a practical one: fewer barriers, clearer guidance and a domestic market that feels easier to trade across. After the 28 August 2026 announcement, the board has continuity; what it needs next is visible progress. (gov.uk)